Ruth could not have talked that way to the girls; but many of them slunk away under Helen’s reprimand.  Ruth took the crying Amy away—­but neither she nor Helen was thanked.

“I wish you girls would mind your own business and let me alone,” sobbed the foolish child, hysterically.  “I can fight my own battles, I’ll tear their hair out!  I’ll scratch their faces for them!”

“Oh, dear me, Amy!” sighed Ruth.  “Do you think that would be any real satisfaction to you?  Would it change things for the better, or in the least?”

What made the girls so unfeeling toward Amy was the fact that from the beginning she had expressed no sorrow over the destruction of the dormitory, and that she had refused to write home to ask for a contribution to the fund being raised for the new building.

When every other girl at Briarwood Hall was doing her best to get money to help Mrs. Tellingham, Amy Gregg’s callousness regarding the fire and its results showed up, said Jennie, “just like a stubbed toe on a bare-footed boy!”

Really, Ruth began to think she would have to act as guard for Amy Gregg to and from the school.  The girl was not allowed to play with the other girls of her age.  Wherever she went a small riot started.

It had become general knowledge that Amy Gregg’s father was a wealthy man, and that the family lived very sumptuously.  Amy had a stepmother and several half brothers and sisters; but she did not get along well with them and, therefore, her father had sent her to Briarwood Hall.

“I guess she was too mean at home for them to stand her,” said Mary Pease, who was the most vindictive of Amy’s class, “and they sent her here to trouble us.  And see what she’s done!”

There was no stopping the younger girls from nagging.  The fact that so much was being done by others to help the dormitory fund kept the feud against Amy Gregg alive.  Her one partisan at this time (for Ruth could not be called that, no matter how sorry she was for her) was Curly Smith.

Once or twice Amy slipped away before Ruth was ready to go back to Mrs. Smith’s house for the evening, and started alone for the lodgings.  The Cedar Walk was the nearest way, and there were many hiding places along the Cedar Walk.

Mary Pease and her chums lay in wait for the unfortunate Amy on two occasions, and chased her all the way to Mrs. Sadoc Smith’s.  What they intended doing to the much disliked girl if they had caught her, nobody seemed to know.  They just seemed determined to plague her.

Ruth did not want to report the culprits; but warning them did not seem to do any good.  On a third occasion Amy started home ahead, and Ruth and Helen hurried after her to make sure that none of the other girls troubled the victim.  Half way down the walk, Helen exclaimed: 

“See there, Ruth!  Amy isn’t alone, after all.”

“Who’s with her?” asked Ruth.  “I can’t see—­Why! it can’t be Ann?”