e," she explained
to her puzzled listeners, "this letter has neither date nor place of
writing. It is typed and signed 'Leslie Cairns,' but I am almost
positive she did not sign it. She has either disguised her hand or
another person has signed her name to it at her request, you may be
sure. Object--if Jerry decided to make her any trouble at Hamilton over
the letter, she would say she had nothing whatever to do with the
writing of it."

"It would take a whole lot of nerve to do that. After what happened last
year, she could hardly hope to be believed." This was Muriel's view of
the matter.

"Still, if the letter were typed and not signed by her, there would be
no proof that she wrote it unless someone had seen her write it." Helen
argued. "We are positive she wrote it, because the contents of the
letter tally with the Sans' attitude and actions toward Marjorie and you
Sandfordites. Yet, what would hinder her from saying that some friend of
yours, to whom you had told your troubles, or, that even one of you five
girls wrote that letter, simply for spite? I do not say that she would
do so. I only say she might. She is capable of it."

"I agree with you, Helen. Leslie Cairns would stand before President
Matthews and declare up and down that she never dreamed of writing such
a letter, if it pleased her to do it." Leila spoke with conviction. "She
took chances, of course, of being called to account for the statements
she made in the letter. Undoubtedly, she had her whole course of action
planned out before ever she wrote it. While she couldn't be sure you
wouldn't make a fuss about it, because of the way Ronny brought the Sans
to book last March, she could plan the best way to brazen it out if she
got into difficulties over it.

"Just imagine! She had a grudge against the Lookouts before ever she met
them. Leila and I were always suspicious of the way Natalie Weyman
acted about meeting you at the station. We could not fathom the object
of such a performance. We both thought there was more to it than
appeared on the surface." Vera nodded wisely.

"And all on account of the maliciousness of Row-ena Farnham. Why, none
of us had seen her for over two years! We supposed she belonged to our
departed high school days." Muriel's tones betrayed decided umbrage.

"You can make up your minds that I don't intend ever to serve on any
reform committees--object, the betterment of the heathen; the Sans, I
mean." Jerry made this anno