her in some way through their friend. This was an ugly
thought of Polly's. She was ashamed of it and yet felt herself driven
to using almost any means toward attaining her end.

"Look here, Esther Crippen," she began, breaking the silence first. "I
wonder if it has ever occurred to you that you may some day have a
secret in your life (or you may have one already for all that I know),
which you want more than anything to keep hidden from people. Say you
particularly wished Betty never to find it out. Well, suppose I
discovered your secret, suppose I knew about it right now, would you
want me to tell Betty everything that I had found out just because I
decided that it would be the right thing to do?"

Polly happened to be staring into her own lap as she delivered this
speech, feeling none too proud of it and having to trust to her
imagination as she went along. Now, however, she glanced up into the
face of the other girl, who was standing near her.

Then with an exclamation of regret, almost of fear, Polly jumped to her
feet.

"Good heavens! Esther, what is the matter with you? Are you ill, do
you feel like you were going to faint? If you are sick why on earth
haven't you told me before? We could talk over this business of mine
any time."

And Polly, forgetting her anger, put her arm reassuringly about her
former friend, fairly leading her to a chair. Esther continued staring
at her, with a deathly white face, evidently trying to speak, but not
able. Then suddenly the girl collapsed and dropping her head on her
arm began to cry. She was ordinarily self-restrained; and being
brought up in an orphan asylum among people who took no interest in her
emotions she had learned unusual self-control. Probably only three or
four persons had ever seen her give way like this before in her life.
So she did not cry easily, but in a kind of shaken, broken fashion that
brought a remorseful Polly on the floor at her feet.

"What on earth have I said that has hurt you so, Esther?" she begged.
"I know I am a wretched little beast who does or say 'most anything
sometimes in order to get my own way. But of course I don't know any
secret of yours and if I did I should never tell. I only like to
threaten things because I'm cross. You see I don't believe in telling
secrets."

This was a Polly-like way of apologizing and yet driving in her own
claim at the same time. If only at this moment Esther had had the
Princess' un