most think I'm somebody at last. Won't Nan be pleased!" she
reflected as she hurried home to keep her promise to Eleanor. Then she
laughed merrily all to herself. "Those silly girls! I really didn't do a
thing," she thought. And then she sighed. "I never get a chance to be a
bit vain. I wish I could--one little wee bit. I wonder if Mr. West
came."

It did not occur to Betty as at all significant that Jean Eastman and
Kate Denise had not spoken to her after the meeting, until, when she
knocked on Eleanor's door, Eleanor came formally to open it. "Jean and
Kate are here," she said coldly, "so unless you care to stop----"

Jean and Kate nodded silently from the couch where they were eating
candy.

"Oh, no," said Betty in quick astonishment. "I'll come some other time."

"You needn't bother," answered Eleanor rudely. "They've told me all
about it," and she shut the door, leaving Betty standing alone in the
hall.

Betty winked hard to keep back the tears as she hurried to her own room.
What could it all mean? She had done her best for Eleanor, and nobody
had guessed--they had been too busy laughing at that ridiculous Emily
Davis--and now Eleanor treated her like this. And Jean Eastman, too,
when she had done exactly what Jean wanted of her. Jean's curtness was
even less explainable than Eleanor's, though it mattered less. It was
all--queer. Betty smiled faintly as she applied Alice Waite's favorite
adjective. Well, there was nothing more to be done until she could see
Eleanor after dinner. So she wiped her eyes, smoothed her hair, and went
resolutely off to find Roberta, whose heavy shoes--another of Roberta's
countless fads--had just clumped past her door.

"I'm writing my definitions for to-morrow's English," announced Roberta.
"For the one we could choose ourselves I'm going to invent a word and
then make up a meaning for it. Isn't that a nice idea?"

"Very," said Betty listlessly.

Roberta looked at her keenly. "I believe you're homesick," she said.
"How funny after such a jubilant afternoon."

Betty smiled wearily. "Perhaps I am. Anyway, I wish I were at home."

Meanwhile in Eleanor's room an acrimonious discussion was in progress.

"The more I think of it," Kate Denise was saying emphatically, "the
surer I am that she didn't do a thing against us this afternoon. She
isn't to blame for having started a landslide by accident, Jean. Did you
see her face when Eleanor turned her down just now? She looked
absolu