Grace rose from her chair to greet them.  “Good afternoon,” she said pleasantly.  “I shall have to introduce myself.  I am Grace Harlowe of the freshman class.  I saw you at the dance the other night but did not meet you.”

“How do you do?” returned Alberta Wicks in a bored tone, while the other girl nodded indifferently.  “I remember your face, I think.  I’m not sure.  There was an army of freshmen at the dance.  The largest entering class for a number of years, I understand.”

“Freshmen are perhaps not important enough to be remembered,” returned Grace, smiling faintly.  Then deciding that there was nothing to be gained by beating about the bush she said earnestly, “I hope you will not think me meddlesome or presuming, but I came here this afternoon to talk with you about something that concerns a member of the freshman class.  I refer to Miss Briggs, whom I am quite certain you know.”

“Miss Briggs,” repeated Alberta Wicks, meditatively.  “Let me see, I think we met her——­”

“The day she came to college,” supplemented Grace.

“How did you know that?” was the sharp question.

“I saw you and Miss Hampton when you approached her, and also when you walked away from the station with her,” Grace said quietly.  “Miss Briggs rode part of the way on the train with us to Overton.”

A deep flush rose to the faces of both young women at Grace’s indisputable statement.  There was an uncomfortable silence.

“I know also,” continued Grace, “that you conducted her to the county court house instead of the registrar’s office and left her to find out the truth as best she might.”

“Really,” sneered Alberta, “you seem to be extremely well informed as to what took place.  It is quite evident that Miss Briggs published the news broadcast.”

“She did nothing of the sort,” retorted Grace coldly.  “She did tell my roommate and me, and I regret to say that she also told the registrar, but she now realizes her mistake in doing so.”

“Her realization comes entirely too late,” was the sarcastic reply.  “She should have thought things over before going to the registrar with anything so silly.”

“Ah!” ejaculated Grace.  “I am glad to hear you admit that the trick you played was silly.  To my mind it was both senseless and unkind.  However, I did not come here to-day to discuss the ethics of the affair.  Miss Briggs has received a note forbidding her attendance at the sophomore reception and advising her to leave Overton.  It is signed ’Sophomore Class.’  It states her betrayal of two sophomores to the registrar as the cause of its origin.  What I wish to ask you is whether the sophomores have really taken action in this matter, or whether you wrote this note in order to frighten Miss Briggs into leaving college?”

“I do not admit your right to interfere, and I shall certainly not answer your question, Miss Harlowe.  You are decidedly impertinent, to say the least,” replied Alberta in a tone of suppressed anger.  “I cannot understand why you should take such an unprecedented interest in Miss Briggs’s affairs and I shall tell you nothing.”