Down toward the end of the list of the cast was Ada Nansen’s name as “the maid.”

“She’ll be furious,” whispered Bobby.  “Miss Anderson told Miss Sharpe, when she didn’t think I could hear, that Ada wasn’t really good enough to be the maid, but that they hoped she would sing for them between the acts.  Miss Anderson said if they didn’t let her have some part she’d be so sulky she wouldn’t sing.”

A rehearsal was held in the gymnasium after school that afternoon, and as she went through her first act Betty was uncomfortably conscious of Ada’s glowering eyes following her.  When the cue was given for the maid, Ada did not move.

“That’s your cue, Ada,” called Miss Anderson patiently.

“I’ve resigned, Miss Anderson,” said Ada clearly.  “It’s a little too much to ask me to play maid to two charity students.”

Norma and Alice shrank back, but Betty sprang forward.

“How dare you!” she flared, white with rage.  “How dare you say such a thing!  It’s untrue, and you know it.  Even if it were so, you have no right to say such an outrageous thing.”

Betty was angrier than she had ever been in her life.  She possessed a lively temper and was no meeker than she should be, but during the past summer she had learned to control herself fairly well.  Ada’s cruel taunt, directed with such a sneer at the Guerin sisters that every girl knew whom she meant, had sent Betty’s temper to the boiling point.

“Easy, easy, Betty,” counseled Miss Anderson, putting an arm about the shaking girl.  “You’re not mending matters, you know.”

Then she turned to Ada, who was now rather frightened at what she had done.  She had not meant to go so far.

“Ada,” said Miss Anderson sharply, “you will apologize immediately before these girls for the injustice you have done to two of them.  What you have just said is nothing more nor less than a lie.  I will not stoop to put my meaning in gentler phrases.  Apologize to Norma and Alice at once.”

Ada set her lips obstinately.  The teacher waited a moment.

“I will give you just three minutes,” she declared.  “If at the end of that time you still refuse to obey me, I will send for Mrs. Eustice.”

Ada shuffled her feet uneasily.  She had no fancy to meet Mrs. Eustice, whose friendship for the Guerins was well known.  Mrs. Eustice had a hot white anger of her own that a pupil who once witnessed it could never forget.

“Well, Ada?” came Miss Anderson’s voice at the end of the three minutes.

Ada hastily stumbled through a shame-faced apology, painful to listen to, and then, the angry tears running down her face, turned and dashed from the room.

CHAPTER XXII

ANOTHER MYSTERY

“Ready, Betty,” said Miss Anderson briskly.  “You enter at the left and begin ‘I thought I heard voices—­’ Don’t look toward the auditorium.  Remember you are supposed to be in a small room.”