feel sure. And what a brave fight she was making!
Every letter from her mother or Mollie or from any one of their old
Camp Fire circle had something admiring to say of her. And yet she and
Mollie had always thought of their Princess as only a spoiled darling,
beautiful and meant only for cherishing. Ah well, the Princess was
really an aristocrat in the old meaning of the word. She had never
been in the least like these New York girls, caring for money for its
own sake and feeling superior to other people just because of her
money. Betty had birth and beauty and brains.

Suddenly Polly dashed the tears from her eyes and with a smile jumped
to her feet, dropping her Camp Fire book. There was no use sitting
there and thinking of all the virtues that her Princess possessed that
began with "b." This was Friday afternoon and she was free to do what
she liked. Esther was living in a boarding house not far away, and she
had not seen her in two weeks. And in all the world there was nothing
Esther liked to talk about so much as Betty. Besides, if Esther were
going home for the holidays, why, Polly felt that she would rather like
to have some one persuade her into making her own decision.

Is it good or evil fortune that makes one so readily influenced by
outside conditions? The December afternoon was cold and brilliant; and
in few places is the climate of early winter so stimulating as in New
York City. Esther was not at home, and for a few minutes her visitor
felt disappointed. But the streets were so beautiful and alluring and
there were so many people out! It was true that Polly had received
permission only to call upon her friend, but what wrong could there be
in her taking a walk? She had only to keep straight along Broadway and
there could be no possible chance of getting lost. Polly was not in
the least timid or unable to take care of herself. She was a girl from
a small town, and yet no one could have imagined that she had not been
a New Yorker all her life, except for her quick and eager interest in
the sights about her.

No one noticed or molested Polly in the least. It was only that in her
usual unthinking fashion she flung herself into the way of temptation.
Farther down Broadway than she had ever been before, Polly stopped for
a moment to look more closely at a group of girls. Most of them were
several years older than herself. They were standing close together
near a closed door, and yet only