isgraced in the eyes of the town. You ought to
be ashamed of yourself. It's so _vulgar_. Now, will you promise to give
up all your bad habits and behave like a lady."

"I'll promise nothing," snapped Mabel.

"Then we shall be obliged to tar and feather you."

Mabel laughed, imagining it was an empty threat, but she was rapidly
undeceived. Two inquisitors, seizing her by the arms, held her tightly
in her chair, while several others smeared soap over her face and stuck
on feathers which they took out of a cushion. She would have screamed,
but every time she opened her mouth to do so she received a dab of soap
upon her tongue. When they considered her countenance was sufficiently
ornamented, they presented her with a looking-glass to view the effect.

"That's how we feel about it," the spokeswoman assured her. "This is
just to show you we won't stand your horrid ways. Will you promise now
to behave yourself, or do you want any more?"

Apparently Mabel had had enough. She seemed rather frightened. She
grumbled that she would agree to what they wished.

"Just jolly well take care that you keep your promise then," warned her
inquisitor. "If you begin any of your old tricks again we have evidence
against you, and we shall take it straight to Rachel. If I know anything
of Rachel she'll go to Miss Rodgers, and that means you're expelled. So
now you know! You'd better be careful, Mabel Hughes. That's all we came
to say. You may wash your face if you like before you get into bed
again."

The ten members of the inquisition, knowing that time was passing, and
that the prefects would soon be coming upstairs, judged it wise to break
up the meeting, and taking their candles beat a stately retreat to their
respective dormitories. Lorna and Irene, returning to their cubicles,
heard Elsie chuckling. She had not interfered in any way with the
performance, but it had evidently entertained her. She told the tale
next day to her friends, with the result that Ruth, Rosamonde, Winnie,
Monica, and Callie joined her in seceding from the Starry Circle,
leaving Mabel and Bertha as sole remaining representatives of that
sorority.

"We're fed up with you," Winnie assured the pair when they remonstrated.
"We're tired of your sneaking ways, and you may just keep them to
yourselves. We're not going to let you copy our exercises any more. And
if we see you taking those kids' biscuits again there'll be squalls. No,
we shan't tell you the name of