form and made the brief announcement:

"Hope Lawson has been elected Warden of the Lower School by a majority
of fifty votes."

Dorothy left the lecture hall with her head in a whirl. That Hope should
have won by such an enormous majority was most astonishing. She could
not understand it. Conversation was strictly forbidden on the staircase,
but the moment she reached the gymnasium door she burst into eager
enquiries.

"Yes, it's a surprise to everybody," said Ruth Harmon. "I thought myself
that Val would get it. All the Lower Fourth and most of the Upper Third
were for her."

"Then how could Hope possibly score by fifty?"

"She did it with the kids, I suppose."

"But the First and Second weren't voting?"

"Indeed they were! Do you mean to say you never knew? Why, Miss James
gave it out this morning."

"Of all sells!" gasped Dorothy. "I heard nothing about it! It's the
first year those kids have ever taken part in the election. Why couldn't
some of you tell me?"

"I was just going to," said Mavie, "but you stalked away and wouldn't
listen. It's your own fault, Dorothy."

"You might have run after me."

"You looked so lofty, I didn't feel disposed."

"Val didn't know either," interposed Bertha Warren. "She never canvassed
in the First or the Second; no more did Grace or Noelle. I'm not certain
if any of you knew except Hope. Only a few were in the room when Miss
James gave it out."

"Then she's taken a most mean advantage," said Dorothy. "I understand
now why she was sitting on the see-saw making herself so extremely
pleasant. It's not fair! Miss James ought to have announced to the whole
school that such a change had been made."

"Go and tell her so!" sneered Phyllis Fowler.

"Those who lose always call things unfair," added Joyce Hickson.

Dorothy walked away without another word. She did not wish to be
considered jealous, and her common sense told her that she had already
said more than enough. She was too proud to ask for sympathy, and felt
that her most dignified course was to accept her defeat in silence. She
thought she would rather not speak even to her friends, so, ignoring
violent signals from Bertha Warren and Addie Parker, she went at once to
put on her outdoor clothes. The dressing-room, to provide greater
accommodation, had not only hooks round the walls, but double rows of
hat-stands down the middle, with lockers for boots underneath. As
Dorothy sat changing her shoes, she could hear t