n in your body and in your mind as well. Did you guess it
was me, Dreda?"

"You--_what_?" queried Dreda vacantly. Then the colour rushed into her
face, and half a dozen questions tripped together on her tongue. "Oh-h,
was it _you_ who hid my things? All the things I lost? My pencils, my
books, my gloves, the clock that I heard ticking in my hat-box, my
slippers that were on the top of the wardrobe? Oh, Norah, _why_? What
made you do it? Was it for fun?"

Norah shook her head.

"Oh, no. The most deadly earnest. You were Susan's chum, and you
patronised me, and gave yourself airs, and I was angry and jealous, and
_wanted_ to vex you. It was the only thing I could think of, and it
amused me to see you fume and rage. I hid them all--every single thing.
So now you know!"

Dreda sat open-mouthed and aghast. What she felt was not so much horror
at thought of the deliberate unkindness, as sheer bewilderment at the
discovery that a human being existed who cherished a positive dislike to
her irresistible self. She had disliked Norah--that had seemed natural
enough--but that Norah should return that dislike was a thought which
had not even vaguely suggested itself to her mind. It was as if an
earthquake had shaken the foundations of her complacent self-esteem.
She had a second vision of herself as a novice coming among old pupils
and companions, laying down the law, starting new enterprises, claiming
the first place, and with it came also a new insight into Norah's
suffering, seeing all that had been denied to herself bequeathed so
lavishly to a stranger. Instead of the expected outburst of anger,
Norah saw with amazement the big tears rise in Dreda's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Norah! I was very horrid. You took an awful lot of
trouble. I lost nothing, after all, so you needn't worry, and they were
all quite little things."

"Not all! They weren't all little. The synopsis, for instance; you
didn't think _that_ little."

"Oh, Norah, did _you_ hide it? That _was_ cruel! I had worked so
hard--had taken such pains. The Duck was so cross! You took it out of
my desk, and put it back when I was in the study, just to make me look
careless and stupid. Is it really true? I never for one moment
believed that anyone had done it on purpose. I can't believe it now."

"It's true, all the same. I did it. I made up my mind to tell you, and
I will... I did worse than that... Can you guess what I did?"

They stared