tance.

Marjorie regarded her gravely, noting that she looked pale and tired.
Suddenly her eyes opened in wide, unbelieving amazement. With a
half-smothered exclamation that caused half the class to turn and look
at her, including Mignon, whose alert eyes traveled knowingly between
the two girls, she tore her gaze from the disturbing sight, and, putting
one hand over her eyes, leaned her head on her arm. For fastened at the
open neck of Constance's blouse was her butterfly pin.

CHAPTER XXI

MIGNON PLANS MISCHIEF

To Marjorie, torn between resentment of Constance's bold display of the
stolen pin and shame for her utter absence of honor, the French lesson
was a confused jumble. She heard but dimly the rise and fall of
Professor Fontaine's voice as he conducted the lesson, and when he
called upon her to recite she stared at him dazedly and finally managed
to stammer that she was not prepared.

"Ah, Mademoiselle Dean, I am of a certainty moch surprised that you
cannot translate thees paragraph," the little man declared
reproachfully. "I weel begeen eet for you, and you shall do the rest,
_N'est pas?_"

Marjorie stumbled through the paragraph with hot cheeks and a strong
desire to throw her book into the air and rush from the recitation. When
class was over she seized her books and left the room without looking in
Constance's direction.

The eyes of the latter followed her with an expression of perplexed,
questioning sorrow that, had Marjorie noted and interpreted as such,
might have caused her to doubt what seemed plain, thresh the matter out
frankly with Constance, and thus save them both many weeks of
misunderstanding and heartache.

At the close of the morning session Marjorie lingered until she was sure
that Constance had taken her wraps from the locker and departed. The
thought of her beloved pin ornamenting the other girl's blouse was too
bitter to be tamely borne. Fierce resentment crowded out her gentler
feelings, and she could not trust herself to come in contact with her
faithless classmate and remain silent.

On the steps of the school she met Jerry and Irma, who had posted
themselves to wait for her.

"I thought you had decided to stay in there all day," grumbled Jerry.

"It's only five minutes past twelve," protested Marjorie.

"I thought it was at least half-past," retorted Jerry. "Say, Marjorie,
didn't you say that you'd lost your butterfly pin?"

"Yes," replied Marjorie, shortly, br