e Alice Guerin was roused to retort.

"I haven't been assigned the maid's part yet!" she flashed, when Ada
ordered her to remove several stage properties that were in the way.

"Give it to her, Alice!" encouraged the mischievous Bobby. "That girl
would ruffle an angel."

Alice and Norma were both valuable additions to the Dramatic Club
ranks. Norma especially proved to be a find, and she was given the
hero's part after the first rehearsal while Alice was the heroine's
mother. Betty, much to her surprise, was posted on the bulletin board
as the "leading lady."

Down toward the end of the list of the cast was Ada Nansen's name as
"the maid."

"She'll be furious," whispered Bobby. "Miss Anderson told Miss Sharpe,
when she didn't think I could hear, that Ada wasn't really good enough to
be the maid, but that they hoped she would sing for them between the
acts. Miss Anderson said if they didn't let her have some part she'd be
so sulky she wouldn't sing."

A rehearsal was held in the gymnasium after school that afternoon, and as
she went through her first act Betty was uncomfortably conscious of Ada's
glowering eyes following her. When the cue was given for the maid, Ada
did not move.

"That's your cue, Ada," called Miss Anderson patiently.

"I've resigned, Miss Anderson," said Ada clearly. "It's a little too
much to ask me to play maid to two charity students."

Norma and Alice shrank back, but Betty sprang forward.

"How dare you!" she flared, white with rage. "How dare you say such a
thing! It's untrue, and you know it. Even if it were so, you have no
right to say such an outrageous thing."

Betty was angrier than she had ever been in her life. She possessed a
lively temper and was no meeker than she should be, but during the past
summer she had learned to control herself fairly well. Ada's cruel taunt,
directed with such a sneer at the Guerin sisters that every girl knew
whom she meant, had sent Betty's temper to the boiling point.

"Easy, easy, Betty," counseled Miss Anderson, putting an arm about the
shaking girl. "You're not mending matters, you know."

Then she turned to Ada, who was now rather frightened at what she had
done. She had not meant to go so far.

"Ada," said Miss Anderson sharply, "you will apologize immediately before
these girls for the injustice you have done to two of them. What you have
just said is nothing more nor less than a lie. I will not stoop to put my
meaning in gentler phras