is morning and go out?"

Janie's tell-tale face betrayed her at once, though she would not have
attempted to deny the fact, in any case.

"Then I'm sorry, but you'll have to come to Miss Maitland too," said
Vivian. "It's a hateful business altogether, and after our splendid
record at St. Chad's, and the way we have all tried so hard to keep up
the standard, it hurts me more than I can tell you. I can't bear to get
Honor Fitzgerald into trouble! I simply couldn't have believed it of
her, though I'm afraid it's only too plain. She's been very naughty
sometimes, but she always seemed extremely straightforward, and I never
dreamt she could be capable of an affair like this. We shall have to
tell the exact truth, Janie; there's nothing else for it, and she must
clear herself as best she can. I'm afraid she's bound to be expelled.
It's a terrible disgrace to the house. Yes, go and fetch her now; the
sooner we get it over the better."

Janie walked down the passage in the utmost perplexity. She could not
account for Vivian's excited diatribe. What had Honor done to bring
disgrace upon St. Chad's? It was, of course, a very irregular thing to
run away at daybreak to meet her brother, but it was no worse than many
of her other scrapes, and did not seem an offence of sufficient gravity
to warrant such an extreme measure as expulsion from the school.

"Vivian is always hard on Honor," thought Janie. "Perhaps, after all,
she's making an unnecessary fuss, and it won't turn out to be so
dreadful as she says. Tell the truth! Of course I shall do so; Vivian
needn't remind me of that!"

Janie called her friend as quietly as possible from the piano. There
were several other girls in the room, and she did not wish them to know
anything about the affair. She only whispered therefore that Honor was
wanted in Miss Maitland's study at once, and did not add any
explanation, thinking it better not to mention Vivian's remarks, as she
had not understood them herself. Honor put her music away calmly
enough, and closed the piano. She knew that the summons must have
reference to her morning adventure, and anticipated a scolding; but it
was not the first she had received at St. Chad's, and she thought the
punishment would probably not exceed two hundred lines, or, perhaps, a
few pages of poetry to be learnt by heart.

The two girls hurried to the study, and, after knocking at the door,
entered in response to Miss Maitland's "Come in". The house-