h.

"Did you speak to her about it?" asked Alice, and then as the sound of
sobbing came from Estelle's room she burst out with:

"You horrid things! I believe you did! Shame on you!" and she hurried to
the closed door.

"It is I--Alice," she whispered. "Let me in. It's all a terrible
mistake. Don't let it affect you so, Estelle dear!"

Then Alice opened the unlocked door and went in. Ruth paused for a
moment to say:

"I think you have made a terrible mistake, Miss Dixon," and then she
followed her sister to comfort the crying girl.

"Humph! Mistake!" sneered Miss Dixon.

"That's what we get for mixing in with amateurs," added her chum. "Come
on, we'll speak to Mr. Pertell about it."

But, for some reason or other, the director was not told directly of the
loss of the ring, nor was Estelle openly accused. She felt as badly,
though, as if she had been, even when Ruth and Alice tried to comfort
her.

Estelle had left the table early, but though she had passed Miss Dixon's
room, she said she had seen no one about.

"Don't mind about the old ring!" said Alice. "It wasn't worth five
dollars."

"But that I should be accused of taking even five dollars!"

"You're not!" said Ruth, quickly. "They don't dare make an open
accusation. I wouldn't be surprised if Miss Dixon found she had lost her
ring and she's ashamed to acknowledge it."

"Oh, but it is dreadful to be suspected!" sighed Estelle.

"You're not--no one in his senses would think of even dreaming you took
so much as a pin!" cried Alice. "It's positively silly! I wouldn't make
such a fuss over such a cheap ring."

But Miss Dixon did make a "fuss," inasmuch as she talked often about her
loss, though she still made no direct accusation against Estelle. But
Miss Dixon and her chum made life miserable for the daring horsewoman.
They often spoke in her presence of extra players who did not know their
places, and made sneering references to locking up their valuables.

At times Estelle was so miserable that she threatened to leave, but Ruth
and Alice would not hear of it and offered to lay the whole matter
before Mr. Pertell and have him settle it by demanding that the loser of
the ring either make a direct accusation or else keep quiet about her
loss.

Mr. DeVere, who was appealed to by his daughters, voted against this,
however.

"It is best not to pay any attention to those young ladies," he advised.
"The friends of Estelle know she would not do such a