Gertrude was in and welcomed her with
enthusiasm, but, to her disappointment, Arline was out. She spent a
pleasant half hour with 19----'s president, then, looking out at the
rapidly gathering twilight, said with a start: "I didn't know it was so
late. I must go down to Ruth Denton's before dinner."

"Perhaps you'll meet Arline there," suggested Gertrude. "She was going
there, too. She and Ruth are great friends. She was greatly disappointed
to learn that Ruth has been invited somewhere else for Christmas. She
had set her heart on taking her home with her. Considering the fact that
Arline's father has so much money, she is an awfully nice little girl.
She isn't in the least snobbish or overbearing."

"I like her immensely," agreed Grace. "Do you know whether Ruth accepted
the invitation, Gertrude?" she asked suddenly.

"Arline said she thought Ruth wanted to go with her, but was too loyal
to the other girl to even intimate any such thing," replied Gertrude.

Five minutes later the two students had exchanged good-byes and Grace
was on her way to Ruth's with Gertrude's words ringing in her ears.
Several weeks ago she had invited Ruth to go with her to Oakdale for the
holidays. At first Ruth had demurred, then accepted with shy gratitude.
The three Oakdale girls had become greatly attached to Ruth, and Anne,
in particular, had looked forward to taking her home with them. Grace
had purposely forestalled Anne in inviting Ruth, because she had decided
in her mind that her facilities for entertaining were greater than
Anne's. She had managed so adroitly, however, that Anne had never even
dreamed of her real motive in inviting the lonely little girl. Now,
there was Arline Thayer's invitation to be considered. Grace suspected
that Ruth secretly worshipped dainty little Arline. She would have died
rather than admit to the girls who had been so good to her that she
could find it in her heart to care more for another Overton girl than
for them. "I'm sorry, of course," Grace murmured to herself as she
hurried along through the shadows, "but I'm going to make her accept
Arline's invitation. She can go home with us at some other time."

She rang the bell at the dingy old house where Ruth lived, was admitted
by the tired-faced landlady and ran upstairs two at a time. Ruth's door
stood partly open. Grace heard Arline Thayer say regretfully, "You are
sure you can't go, Ruth?"

Then she heard Ruth say, very quietly: "I am quite sure