e; various reasons may be assigned for this, but it remains the
fact. Besides this, however, Peggy felt a very special bond with the
"Jews," because her dearest friends were among them. This had come
about partly from the accident of her coming late to school, and so
being put into the junior corridor; but it was still more due to her
making instant acquaintance, as we have seen, with the Fluffy Owl, and
through her with the beloved and powerful Snowy. These two girls,
through their wise and gentle ways, were a power for good in the whole
school, and especially in their own class. They were queens of the
steady and right-minded majority, while Grace Wolfe led the wilder and
less disciplined spirits. The Owls went their quiet way, and troubled
themselves little, less perhaps than they should have done, about the
doings of the "Gang." They were busy with study, with basket-ball, with
a hundred things; they could not always know (especially when pains were
taken that they should not know) what tricks the Scapegoat and her wild
mates were up to.

Both Owls had a real affection for Peggy, and though they knew nothing
as yet of the recent escapade, they felt that it would be well to keep
her rather under their wing, the more so that Grace had undoubtedly
taken a fancy to the child, too.

"She's too fascinating!" said the Snowy. "We shall have the Innocent
falling in love with her if we don't look out, and that would never do!"

"Never!" said the Fluffy, shaking her head wisely; but she added, in an
undertone, "If only the mischief isn't done already!"

So the two asked Peggy to help them in the work of preparing the
gymnasium for the great event, and she consented with delight. She was
making plenty of friends in her own class, oh, yes; especially now that
she and Rose Barclay had made it up. She was the one stay and comfort of
poor little Lobelia Parkins, and was devotedly kind to that forlorn
creature, taking her out to walk almost by main force, and presenting to
all comers a front of such stalwart, not to say pugnacious,
determination, that no one dared to molest the girl when Peggy was with
her. Spite of all this, however, her heart remained in Corridor A, and
she would have left the whole freshman class in the lurch at one
whistle from the Owls--or, alas! from the Scapegoat.

But all this is by the way, and does not help us to get up the Junior
Reception.

There had been an early morning expedition to the neighbou