o consult.
If I were to tell I should be a traitor to Kathleen. I did not care for
the society, although I love her. I joined it at first--I can't quite
tell you how--but afterwards I left it. I left it entirely for my own
benefit. There is a girl in this school whom you all love and respect. I
don't suppose any other girl in the whole school bears such a high
character. Her name is Cassandra Weldon."

"Of course I know Cassandra Weldon," said the head-mistress. "She is our
head girl."

"She is; and she is not proud, and she is--oh, so kind! She offered me
a very great help. She presented to me a tremendous temptation."

"What was that, Ruth?"

Miss Ravenscroft began by being cold and indifferent; she was now really
interested.

"You can sit down if you like," she said.

But Ruth did not sit; she only put one pretty little hand on the back of
a chair as though to steady herself.

"I will tell you everything that concerns myself," she said. "I don't
mind how badly you think of me. I had joined the other foundationers as
a member of Kathleen's society. Then Cassandra presented the temptation.
She offered to give me the services of her coach, Miss Renshaw, to work
up for the Ayldice Scholarship. That means sixty pounds a year. We are
poor at home, Miss Ravenscroft. My grandfather and grandmother are very
poor people; but my father was a gentleman, and my mother was a lady,
and their great longing in life was to have me well educated. My
grandparents can scarcely afford the expense of keeping me in this
school. I know I am a foundationer and my education is free; but there
are other small expenses that have to be met. Even for me to live at
home is almost more than they can compass. You can therefore imagine the
great and wonderful delight of being able to secure a scholarship of
sixty pounds a year. I could scarcely have managed it without this help.
It was noble of Cassandra to offer it, and I--I accepted it, Miss
Ravenscroft. After that, of course, I couldn't remain in Kathleen's
society, for Kathleen and Cassandra hate each other, and I couldn't be
one moment with one girl and another with the other; so I gave up the
society and joined Cassandra. But I can't now betray those who were my
friends. I have made up my mind; I can't."

"You have really made up your mind?"

"Quite--quite; indeed I cannot."

"Do you know what this means?"

"I can guess."

"We shall be obliged to call a meeting of the governors.