jerking her shoulder angrily away; "and
you can _never_ be my friend, because I _hate_ you!"

"Rosa, look here!" said Margaret, following the girl toward the door,
the color rising in her cheeks and a desire growing in her heart to
conquer this poor, passionate creature and win her for better things.
"Rosa, I cannot have you say such things. Tell me why you hate me? What
have I done that you should feel that way? I'm sure if we should talk it
over we might come to some better understanding."

Rosa stood defiant in the doorway. "We could never come to any better
understanding, Miss Earle," she declared in a cold, hard tone, "because
I understand you now and I hate you. You tried your best to get my
friend away from me, but you couldn't do it; and you would like to keep
me from having any boy friends at all, but you can't do that, either.
You think you are very popular, but you'll find out I always do what I
like, and you needn't try to stop me. I don't have to come to school
unless I choose, and as long as I don't break your rules you have no
complaint coming; but you needn't think you can pull the wool over my
eyes the way you do the others by pretending to be friends. I won't be
friends! I hate you!" And Rosa turned grandly and marched out of the
school-house.

Margaret stood gazing sadly after her and wondering if her failure here
were her fault--if there was anything else she ought to have done--if
she had let her personal dislike of the girl influence her conduct. She
sat for some time at her desk, her chin in her hands, her eyes fixed on
vacancy with a hopeless, discouraged expression in them, before she
became aware of another presence in the room. Looking around quickly,
she saw that Bud was sitting motionless at his desk, his forehead
wrinkled in a fierce frown, his jaw set belligerently, and a look of
such, unutterable pity and devotion in his eyes that her heart warmed to
him at once and a smile of comradeship broke over her face.

"Oh, William! Were you here? Did you hear all that? What do you suppose
is the matter? Where have I failed?"

"You 'ain't failed anywhere! You should worry 'bout her! She's a nut! If
she was a boy I'd punch her head for her! But seeing she's only a girl,
_you should worry_! She always was the limit!"

Bud's tone was forcible. He was the only one of all the boys who never
yielded to Rosa's charms, but sat in glowering silence when she
exercised her powers on the school and crea