“What is the use of working ourselves to death simply to have our game handed over to the enemy?” one girl had muttered.

Grace colored at this thrust, but closed her lips tightly and made no reply.  But the attitude of her team worked upon her mind, and she lost confidence in herself.  She realized that a new and injurious influence was at work, and she was powerless to stem the tide of dissension that had arisen.

The practice game was played on the afternoon before the contest, and not even Jessica was there to witness it, although she had formerly been taken as a matter of course.  When invited to attend practice she had scornfully refused it.

“No, thank you,” she said.  “If anything should go wrong to-morrow I’d be accused of treachery.  No one’s reputation is safe in this class.”  At which remark several sophomores had the grace to blush.

The day dawned bright and clear.  Grace arrived at the gymnasium long before the others.  She was worried and anxious over the behavior of her team.  She was half afraid that some one of them would absent herself, in which case one of the substitutes would have to be called, and Grace doubted whether they could be relied upon.

Two months before, she had been certain that there were no players like those of the sophomore organization.  Now she had no confidence in them or herself.  She had a faint hope that when the game opened, her players would forget their grievances and work for the honor of the sophomores.  She would do her best at all events, and Nora could be depended upon, too.  All this passed rapidly through Grace’s mind as she waited for the team to appear.

The spectators were arriving in numbers.  The gallery was almost full, and it still lacked fifteen minutes of the time before the game would be called.  The proverbial little bird had been extremely busy, and all sorts of rumors regarding the two teams were afloat.  The juniors were, as usual, seated in a body and making a great deal of unnecessary noise.  The members of the sophomore class were scattered here and there.  Anne and Jessica sat with three or four of the girls who had refused to pay any attention to the talk about Anne.  A dozen or more of Miriam’s flock sat together watching for the appearance of their favorite.  Occasionally they glanced over toward Anne, whispered to each other, and then giggled in a way that made Anne wince and Jessica feel like ordering them out of the gallery.

Grace and Nora stood talking together at one end of the gymnasium.  Grace kept an anxious eye on the clock.  It was five minutes of two and Miriam had not arrived.  “Would she dare to stay away?” Grace wondered.  At two minutes of two there was a burst of applause from the section of the gallery where Miriam’s admirers were seated.  Grace glanced quickly around to see what had caused it, and beheld Miriam serenely approaching, a satisfied smile on her face.  She had waited until the last minute in the hope of making a sensation, and had not been disappointed.  Then the game began.