thought it would be. I stood beside the stretcher for a
minute."

Nance walked over to the side window and looked across the campus in the
direction of the McLean house. On the small section of the avenue which
could be seen from that point she caught a glimpse of the ambulance
making its return trip to Exmoor.

She turned quickly and went back to her chair.

"It looks like a hearse," she said miserably.

"Is it Andy?" asked Judy of Molly in a whisper.

Molly nodded her head.

"What a chump I've been!" ejaculated Judy.

"It happened the night of the carnival, of course," pursued Nance.

"Yes."

"It was all my fault," she went on quietly. "I would coast down one of
those long hills and Andy didn't want me to. I knew I could, and I
wanted to show him how well I could skate. Then, just as we got to the
bottom, my heel came off and we both tumbled. It didn't hurt us, but
Andy was provoked, and then we quarreled. Of course, walking back made
us late and he missed the others."

"But, dear Nance, it might have happened just the same, even if he had
been with the others," argued Molly.

"No, it couldn't have been so bad. He must have been lying in the snow a
long time before they found him, and was probably half frozen," she went
on, ruthlessly inflicting pain on herself.

"They did go back and find him, fortunately," admitted Molly.

"He was the first and only boy friend I have ever had," continued Nance
in a tone of extreme bitterness. "I always thought I was a wallflower
until I met him. Other girls like you two and Jessie have lots of
friends and can spare one. But I haven't any to spare. I only have
Andy." Her voice broke and she began to sob, "Oh, why was I so stubborn
and cruel that night?"

Judy crept over and locked the door. She was sore in mind and body at
sight of Nance's misery.

"I feel like a whipped cur," she thought. "Just as if someone had beaten
me with a stick. Poor old Nance!"

"You mustn't feel so hopeless about it, Nance dear," Molly was saying.
"I'm sure he'll pull through. They wouldn't have brought him all this
distance if he had been so badly off."

"They have brought him home to die!" cried Nance fiercely. "And I did
it. I did it!" she rocked herself back and forth. "I want to be alone,"
she said suddenly.

"Of course, dear Nance, no one shall disturb you," said Molly, taking a
pile of books off the table and a "Busy" sign, which she hung on the
door. "We'll bring up your supp