, at least not in the way you mean,"
the other girl replied, too much in earnest to be amused even for the
moment. "It has to do with a girl whom you have never liked very much
and she has never liked you. But she has been my friend and I do care
for her. And moreover she is a member of our Sunrise Hill Camp Fire
Club and we promised to live up to Sylvia's motion."

"Edith Norton?" Polly queried. "She must be in trouble if she is
willing to confide in me."

But Betty's expression suddenly silenced her. Always Betty Ashton had
been the most popular among her special group of Camp Fire girls. At
first chiefly for her beauty, her wealth, the prominent position of her
family and for her own generosity and charm. More recently, however,
since the girl had met her own disasters so courageously, a new element
had come into her influence and the affection she inspired. It was a
quality that Polly with all her cleverness would never create, one of
steadfastness under fire. Perhaps it was one of the last
characteristics that one might have looked for in the early days of the
Princess. And yet it will always be found in truly aristocratic
natures. When life is flowing smoothly, when the days go by with no
special demands made upon them, these persons may have many little
weaknesses. Yet when the special occasion arises theirs is the
faithfulness and fortitude. So while Betty had neither the sound
judgment of Sylvia Wharton nor the brilliant fancy of Polly, it was to
her that the other girls usually made their first appeal in any dilemma
or distress.

At this moment if they had not been together on the street Polly would
have liked to embrace her. The cold air had brought Betty's color
back; she still wore the little lace cap under her old fur hat, but the
edging made a lovely frame for her face, and her hair was already
growing so that the curls showed underneath, like a baby's.

"Yes, it is Edith," Betty answered seriously. "And she is in a
difficulty that you could never have imagined of one of our Camp Fire
girls. You know she has been going a good deal with that man whom none
of us like until she thinks she is really in love with him. And it
seems that Edith believes that he does not care a great deal about her.
So she, poor thing, has been trying her best to make him care. She has
bought herself a lot of clothes that she cannot afford, for you know
she gets such a small salary at the shop where she works