she gravely replied. "I can
appreciate, however, your generosity of spirit. I shall ask all of you
to leave me now. Later I will inform you of my decision."

Each feeling that there was nothing more to be said, the six girls
obediently rose to depart. Marian walked to the door, looking neither to
the right nor left. Without waiting for Maizie she made a hurried exit.

Maizie took her time, however. Her hand on the door knob she turned and
addressed Jane.

"You're a real Right Guard," she said in her slow, drawling fashion.
"Not only on the team, but in everything else. I'm sorry it took me so
long to find it out."

CHAPTER XXVII

CONCLUSION

As a result of the events of the previous evening, Marian Seaton and
Maizie Gilbert put in a very bad day. It began by a wild fit of weeping
on Marian's part, after breakfast and in her room that morning. At
breakfast she managed to keep up a semblance of her usual self-assured,
arrogant manner, but the moment she reached her room she crumpled.

"Don't be a baby, Marian," was Maizie's rough advice, as she stolidly
prepared to go to her first recitation of the day. "You brought this
trouble on yourself. You might as well take the consequences without
whimpering. You'd better cut your first recitation. Your eyes are a
sight."

"I'm not going to _any_ of my classes to-day. Go on about your own
business and let me alone," was Marian's equally rude retort.

Maizie merely shrugged at this announcement and went stoically upon her
way. She was made of sterner stuff than her unworthy roommate, and with
the realization that she had behaved very badly indeed, she had now
steeled herself to accept her punishment bravely.

Marian, on the contrary, moped in her room all morning, went to
Rutherford Inn for a lonely luncheon and returned to the Hall and her
room to weep again and ponder darkly over her unhappy situation. She
tried in vain to prepare an argument by which she might clear herself
should Mrs. Weatherbee decide to expose her wrong-doing to Miss
Rutledge. She could think of nothing that might carry weight. The case
against her was too complete to afford the slightest loophole for
escape.

As the day dragged on she gave up in despair. She made up her mind that
her only hope now lay in appealing to Mrs. Weatherbee for mercy. She
resolved to pretend deep remorse and promise a future uprightness of
conduct to which she had no intention of living up.

At five o'clock