“I don’t know anything about that, Miss Harlowe,” said Julia Crosby.  “But I do know that you and your team will have to give up the gymnasium at once, because our team is in a hurry to begin practising.”

Then a great chattering arose.  Every sophomore there except Miriam Nesbit raised a protesting voice.  Grace held up her hand for silence, then summoning all her dignity she turned to Julia Crosby.

“Miss Crosby,” she said, “you have evidently made a mistake.  We have had permission to use the gymnasium this afternoon, which I feel sure you have not had.  It was neither polite nor kind to break in upon us as you did, and the least you can do is to go away quietly without interrupting us further.”

“Really, Miss Harlowe,” said Julia Crosby, and again her tantalizing laugh rang out, “you are entirely too hasty in your supposition.  As it happens, I have the best right in the world to bring my team to the gym. this afternoon.  So, little folks,” looking from one sophomore to another in a way that was fairly maddening, “run away and play somewhere else.”

“Miss Crosby,” cried Grace, now thoroughly angry, “I insist on knowing from whom you received permission.  It was not granted by Miss Thompson.”

“Oh, I did not stop at Miss Thompson’s.  I went to a higher authority.  Mr. Cole, the boys’ principal, gave me a written permission.  Here it is.  Do yon care to read it?” and Julia thrust the offending paper before Grace’s eyes.

This was the last straw.  Grace dashed the paper to the floor, and turned with flashing eyes to her tormentor.

“Miss Crosby,” she said, “if Professor Cole had known that Miss Thompson had given me permission to use the gymnasium, he would never have given you this paper.  You obtained it by a trick, which is your usual method of gaining your ends.  But I want you to understand that the sophomore class will not tamely submit to such impositions.  We evened our score with you as freshmen, and we shall do it again this year as sophomores.  Furthermore, we mean to win every basketball game of the series, for we should consider being beaten by the juniors the deepest possible disgrace.  I regret that we have agreed to play against an unworthy foe.”

With her head held high, Grace walked from the gymnasium, followed by the other members of her team, who were too indignant to notice that Miriam had remained behind.

CHAPTER II

THE WAY OF THE TRANSGRESSOR

Once outside the gymnasium, Grace’s dignity forsook her, and she felt a wild desire to kick and scream like a small child.  The contemptible conduct of the junior team filled her with just rage.  With a great effort at self-control she turned to the other girls, who were holding an indignation meeting in the corridor.

“Girls,” she said, “I know just how you feel about this, and if we had been boys there would have been a hand-to-hand conflict in the gymnasium to-day.”