Ulyth in consternation.

"Now you've done it!" exclaimed Helen angrily. "Ink all over the page.
What a disgraceful mess! For goodness' sake stop; you're making it
worse. Give it to me."

Ulyth, who was frantically mopping up the black streams with her pocket
handkerchief, surrendered the book to the outraged librarian. Nemesis
had indeed descended upon her guilty head.

"You knew perfectly well that you weren't allowed to take it to-day,"
scolded Helen. "You sneaked into the library and got it while I was
out."

"Someone else has been sneaking too," thought Ulyth, with a glance at
Stephanie's face. "I fancy I know who turned informer." Then aloud she
said: "I'm fearfully sorry. I'll buy a new copy of the book."

"I don't believe you can; it's one Mrs. Arnold gave to the school, and
is published in America. I'll try sponging it with salts of lemon, but
I'm afraid nothing will take out the stain. I thought better of you,
Ulyth Stanton. One doesn't expect such things from V B. You'll borrow no
more books till the end of the month. Do you understand?"

Ulyth responded with what meekness she could muster. She admitted that
the monitress had reason for wrath, and that she had really no excuse
worthy of urging in extenuation of her crime. It was hard to be debarred
the use of the library for more than a fortnight, but, Helen, she knew,
would enforce that discipline rigidly. The unfortunate motto-cards had
come in for the bulk of the ink, and were completely spoilt. Ulyth
carried the ruins to Lizzie's bedroom and pleaded _peccavi_.

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped. I've done my three cards with
pictures of flowers, and the rest of the calendar will have to be
plain," said Lizzie. "You were rather an idiot, Ulyth."

"I know. I'd have asked Helen for the book if she'd been anywhere near,
and I meant to tell her afterwards that I'd taken it."

"Didn't you explain that to her?"

"No. It didn't come well when she'd just caught me."

"You let her think the worst of you."

"It couldn't be helped. I'm sure Stephanie hunted her up and told her."

"Stephanie doesn't like you."

"No, because I champion Rona, and Stephanie can't bear her."

"There's nothing so much wrong with the poor old Cuckoo now; she's
wonderfully inoffensive."

"Yes, but she's not aristocratic. Stephie rubs that in to her
continually. She calls her 'a daughter of the people'."

"Stephanie Radford can be uncommonly snobbish sometimes."

Stepha