into the corridor where girls were strolling idly as they waited
for the gong to summon them to chapel. Beyond the broad staircase Ellen's
disconsolate little figure stood in the glare of the gas-jet over the
bulletin-board.

Lila hastened toward her. "Miss Bright, oh, Miss Bright, I did not know.
I am exceedingly sorry. You will keep me posted? If there is anything
that I can do, of course--I feel--I feel--so guilty."

Ellen raised her face. Her mouth was trembling at the corners. "I sent
the letter," she said, "I'm waiting." She winked rapidly and her odd
features worked convulsively for a moment. "If--if they telegraph----"

"Miss Bright." It was the voice of a messenger girl who had that instant
emerged from an adjacent apartment. "Will you step into the office at
once, if you please? There is a message----"

Ellen was gone like a flash. Lila walked across to the staircase and very
deliberately seated herself with her head resting against the banisters.
It was there that Bea found her a few minutes later when the stream of
students was beginning to set toward the chapel doors.

Bea was startled. "Lila, what is it? You look like a ghost. Shall I get
some water?"

Lila opened her eyes. "I think that her little sister is dead," she said.

"Oh!" Bea clasped her hands in pity. "How can we help?"

"I think that I killed her," said Lila.

"What!" It was almost a shout. Then noticing that several girls turned to
stare curiously in passing, Bea put out her hand. "Come, Lila, get up.
It's time to go to chapel. You don't realize what you're saying."

She rose obediently in mechanical response to the gesture.

"It was my fault because I was the older and I knew the danger. She was
only a freshman. She wanted me to persuade her not to drop that letter
from the window. I could have kept her from feeling lonely. I made her
reckless. It wasn't her fault. But now her little sister is dead."

"How do you know she is?" asked Bea.

"A message came."

"Hush!" They slipped into a pew near the rear of the chapel. During the
reading of Scripture, Lila sat gazing blankly straight before her over
the rows of heads, dark and fair. As if in a dream she rose with the
others for the singing of the hymn. Still as though moving in a mist, she
sank again into her seat and bowed her forehead upon the pew in front.
While the rustling murmur was subsiding into a hush before the prayer,
she stirred and lifting her face turned for one fl