ho had not joined the society and did not
belong to the foundationers, one whom I am sorry to say the
foundationers did not care for at all, offered a great kindness to this
girl--a very special and tremendous kindness--and the girl in her own
mind decided that she would be doing wrong not to accept it. So she did
accept it, and--Are you listening, grandfather?"

"Indeed I am, little maid. Go on, my child; I'm attending to every
word."

"The girl decided to accept the kindness from the paying girl, and to do
that she had to give up the society. She was sorry to give it up, but it
seemed to her that it was the only right and honorable thing to do. She
could not belong to both--to one side of the school and to the other;
she must take her stand with one or the other; so she decided for her
own special benefit to take her stand with the paying girls."

"On the whole, perhaps, she was right," said the old man. "Can't say
unless I know everything; but on the whole, perhaps, she was right."

"I think she was, grandfather," said Ruth slowly. "But now please
listen. The head-mistress at the school and the governors have found out
about the secret society. They have found out that it exists, but they
don't know much more. They know, however, that its influence is bad in
the school, and they are determined to crush it out. In order to do this
they must get full particulars. They must get the name of the leader. I
am afraid that they know the name of the leader, but they must also get
the names of her companions--all the names--and as much as possible of
the rules of the society. Now the only girl not a member of the society
who can give those particulars is the girl I have been talking about;
for, of course, she knows, as she belonged to it at one time although
she has now left it. And the governors and the head-mistress sent for
this girl and asked her to betray her companions--those girls to whom
she had sworn fealty--and the girl refused."

"Quite right," said old Mr. Craven.

The color rushed into Ruth's cheeks. She clasped her grandfather's hand
firmly.

"She thought it right, but something dreadful is going to happen. It
will be terribly hard for the girl if she sticks to her resolve, for the
governors of the school have presented what they call an ultimatum to
her; they have given her from now till Saturday to make up her mind, and
if she refuses on Saturday grandfather, she is to be expelled publicly.
Her sentence