eally, you mustn't!"

"I guess I can do as I like with my own money, Bessie. And I'm going to
be one of your friends--one of your best friends, if you'll let me.
Will you shake hands, to show that you don't bear any hard feelings?"

And Bessie, unable to speak, held out her hand.

General Seeley wrung it--then he started, suddenly.

"Here, here, what am I thinking of?" he said, briskly. "I must find Mrs.
Chester and ask her to forgive me. Do you think she will do it, Bessie?
Or haven't you known her long enough--"

"Why should she forgive you, sir? You just thought what anyone else
would have thought. What I don't understand is why she was willing to
believe me. She didn't know anything about me--"

"I'll tell you why, Bessie. It's because she knows human nature, and I,
like the old fool I am, wouldn't acknowledge it! But I've learned my
lesson--I'll never venture to disagree with her again. And I'm going to
hunt her up and tell her so."

So Bessie, as happy as she had been miserable a few minutes before, went
with the general, while he looked for Mrs. Chester. She returned from
Pine Bridge just as they reached the camp, and she listened to General
Seeley's apologies with smiling eyes.

"I knew I was right," was all she said. "And I'm more than glad that the
real culprit was found. But, my dear, you oughtn't to have tried to
leave us that way. It wasn't your fault, and we should have gone, just
the same, and we would have had to look for you until we found you. When
we once make friends of anyone, we don't let them get away from us. That
wouldn't be true to the spirit of the Camp Fire--not a bit of it!"

Then, while Bessie changed again into the clothes Ayu had lent her, Mrs.
Chester gave the welcome order to unpack, and explained to the Guardians
that Bessie was cleared, and they were going to stay in camp, and have
the Council Fire just as it had been planned. Everyone was delighted,
Eleanor Mercer most of all, because she had had real faith in Bessie,
and it was a triumph for her to know that her faith had not been
misplaced.

CHAPTER XV

THE COUNCIL FIRE

The girls of the Manasquan Camp Fire did little that day except to cook
their meals and keep the camp in order. The order to unpack had come,
fortunately, in time to save a lot of trouble, since very little had
been done toward preparing to move, and, when it was all over, Eleanor
called the girls together, and told them just what had happened