g missed one
opportunity she did not propose to miss a second. This time Jane Allen
should hear what she had to say.

At the slightly opened door she heard words which brought her to an
abrupt halt. It was not the first time she had listened at that selfsame
door. Edging close, she turned her back to it.

Facing the big room, her pale eyes roved over it with studied
carelessness. Her ears, however, were sharply trained to catch the
sound of two voices that drifted plainly out to her.

Meanwhile Judith, unaware of listeners, was gayly remarking as she
pinned up the tear in Jane's overdress:

"This reminds me of the tear in the white lace dress that caused such a
fuss last year. It was a good thing you were around to help Norma out of
that mix-up. If it hadn't been for you, Edith Hammond would have gone
straight to Mrs. Weatherbee and told her that it was Norma who stole her
dress. I must say, Edith acted splendidly about it afterward. I never
thought she had it in her to do as she did."

"Things looked pretty black for poor Norma that day until I made things
right with Edith," reminisced Jane. "She was determined to make Norma
give back her dress when all the while----"

"It was Judy Stearns who had really stolen it," merrily supplemented
Judith.

"I'll never forget Edith's face when I told her I was sorry to say that
the real thief was Judith Stearns," laughed Jane.

"I was the thief, all right enough, but only a few people knew it. Alas,
my fatal failing!" grinned Judith. "There! I guess that will stay.
Let's go. I hear the enlivening strains of a fox trot. That means us."

It also meant to the listener outside that her time of eavesdropping was
up. Before the two occupants of the dressing room had reached the door
Marian Seaton had hurried away from it, her original intention quite
forgotten.

CHAPTER XVIII

DIVIDING THE HONORS

Once the sophomores had done their duty in the way of entertaining their
freshmen sisters, they promptly turned to their own affairs.

Following the freshman frolic a busy week of sophomore electioneering
set in. It was succeeded by a class meeting that barely escaped being a
quarrel.

At least a third of the class had, it appeared, enlisted under Marian
Seaton's banner. These ardent supporters who had espoused her cause in
the previous year and had been defeated, again came to the front with
belligerent energy. Though lacking in numbers, they were strong in
disagree