sh that I had been different."

There was an awkward silence. Grace made a vain effort to think of
something to say to this hitherto unapproachable senior who had suddenly
become so humble. Before she could frame a reply Alberta continued
almost sullenly:

"I don't know why I should care so much. But after Julia Crosby told me
how you saved her life when she broke through the ice into the river and
what a splendid girl you were, I felt awfully ashamed of myself. She
talked to me and made me promise I would come to see you as soon as I
returned to Overton. I am afraid I would have stayed away, though, if it
hadn't been for something else."

Grace's eyes were frankly questioning, but she still said nothing.

"It is about that Miss West," said the senior, as though in answer to
Grace's mute inquiry. "I am sorry to say that I encouraged her to do all
sorts of revolutionary things when she first came here. I discovered she
disliked you and your friends, and I was glad of it. I never lost an
opportunity to fan the flame."

"But why did she dislike us?" asked Grace. "That is the thing none of us
understand. We were prepared to like her because Mabel Ashe had written
me, asking me to look out for her. You know they worked on the same
newspaper. We did everything we could to make her feel at home, until
suddenly she began to cut our acquaintance. Later on something happened
that made her angry with me, but to this day none of us knows why she
cut us in the first place."

"She never said a word to Mary or me about Mabel Ashe," declared Alberta
in frowning surprise. "We supposed she had come to Wayne Hall as a
stranger and had been snubbed by your crowd of girls. She was furiously
angry with you because she wasn't asked to help with the bazaar. She
wanted to be in the circus, and said you asked other freshmen and
slighted her."

"And I never dreamed she would care," returned Grace wonderingly. "If we
had only asked her to take part, all these unpleasantnesses might have
been avoided. You see, we didn't intend to ask any freshmen, but we
finally asked Myra Stone because she made such a darling doll. Oh, I'm
so sorry."

"I wouldn't be if I were you," declared Alberta dryly. "Judging from
what I know of her, I don't think she deserves much sympathy. I just
prevented her from publishing Miss Denton's private affairs broadcast
through the medium of her paper."

"You don't mean she--" began Grace.

Alberta nodded. "Yes, she