cretary had just handed to
her for inspection.

"Yes," returned the principal, briefly; "come with me." She led the way
to her inner office and, motioning to Marjorie to precede her, stepped
inside and closed the door.

"Sit here, Miss Dean," she directed, indicating a chair at one side of
her desk. Then, seating herself, she turned to the young girl, and said,
with kind gravity: "I sent for you this morning because I wish to speak
frankly to you of one of your classmates. I shall expect you to be
absolutely frank, too. Very grave complaints have been brought to me by
Miss La Salle concerning Constance Stevens. She insists that Miss
Stevens is guilty of the theft of her bracelet, which disappeared on the
night of the dance given by the young men of Weston High School. As I
left the gymnasium some time before the party was over, I knew nothing
of this, and no word of it was brought to me afterward.

"Miss La Salle also states that Miss Stevens has been wearing a gold
pin, in the form of a butterfly, which belongs to you and which you
advertised as lost. She declares that she is positive that Miss Stevens
found the pin and made no effort to return it to you, and that you are
shielding her from the effects of her own wrongdoing by allowing her to
continue to wear it. This latter seems to be a rather far-fetched
accusation, but Miss La Salle is so insistent in the matter that I was
going to settle that part of it, at least, by asking you where and when
you found your pin and whether you gave Miss Stevens permission to wear
it.

"This may seem to you, my dear, like direct interference in your
personal affairs, but it is necessary that this matter be cleared up at
once. Miss Stevens cannot afford to allow such detrimental reports to
be circulated about her through the school."

Miss Archer looked expectantly at Marjorie, who was strangely silent,
two signals of distress in her brown eyes.

"I cannot answer your questions, Miss Archer," she answered at last, her
clear tones a trifle unsteady.

The principal regarded her with amazed displeasure. Accustomed to having
the deciding voice in all matters pertaining to her position as head of
the school, she could not endure being crossed, particularly by a pupil.

"I must insist upon an answer, Miss Dean. Your silence is unfair, not
only to Miss Stevens, but to the school. If Miss Stevens is innocent of
any wrongdoing, now is the time to clear her name of suspicion. If she