These jokes, and their like, made her beloved by a certain number of the
girls, amused the others, and sometimes bothered her teachers a good
deal.

But there was not a girl in all Pinewood Hall who would have been of
such help to Nancy Nelson at this juncture as Jennie Bruce.

When Jennie was out of the building in recreation time, Nancy either
kept close in Number 30, or crept away to some empty office and conned
her lesson books industriously.

When Jennie was at hand Nancy began to see that she need fear little
trouble from the Montgomery clique. They were all afraid of Jennie's
sharp tongue. And after Cora had tried to be nasty to Nancy before a
crowd a couple of times, and Jennie had turned the laugh against her,
Nancy's enemies learned better.

But one noon Grace Montgomery received a letter which, after reading,
she passed around among her particular friends. It was eagerly read,
especially by Cora Rathmore.

That young lady immediately walked over to Nancy, who was sitting alone
reading, and she shook the letter in the surprised girl's face.

"Now I've got you, Miss!" she fairly hissed.

Nancy looked up, startled, but could not speak.

"Now we know where you came from, and what and who you are, Nancy
Nelson!" pursued Cora. "A girl like you--a nobody--a foundling--Oh! I'll
see if I have got to associate with such _scum_!"

She wheeled sharply away, and had Nancy recovered her powers of speech
she would have had no time to reply to this tirade.

But Nancy could not have spoken just then to save her life! The blow had
fallen at last. All she had feared since coming to Pinewood Hall was now
about to be realized.

In some way Grace Montgomery had learned the particulars of her early
life at Higbee School, though Cora might not have found it out, and
Grace had put the letter into the hands of Nancy's roommate.

What Cora would first do poor Nancy did not know. There would be some
terrible "blowup" the girl was sure. The story would spread all over the
school. All the girls must know that she was a mere nobody, apparently
dependent upon charity for her education and even for her food.

Oh! if she could only escape from it all--run away from Pinewood--go
somewhere so far, or so hidden, that none of these proud girls coming
from rich families could ever find and taunt her with her own miserable
story.

Yes, Nancy thought earnestly that afternoon of running away. Any
existence, it seemed to her then,