“It would be the irony of fate if the thief couldn’t spend the money after all his trouble,” observed Mrs. Harlowe.

“I hope he never, never can,” cried Grace.  “I hope he’ll bruise all his knuckles and break all his finger nails trying to open the box, and still not make the slightest impression!”

“He certainly will if he tries to open the box with his finger nails and knuckles,” replied her father, as he bestowed two kisses upon his wife and daughter, respectively, and departed to his business.

“Who is to be custodian of the fund, Grace?  Are you to have charge of it?” asked Mrs. Harlowe.

“No, mother; Marian Barber was formally elected class treasurer last year.  She likes to keep books and add up accounts and all those things.  So I shall just turn the check over to her to put in the bank until we give our next entertainment.  Then, when we have about a thousand dollars, we’ll give it all to Miss Thompson as our contribution toward rebuilding the gymnasium.  I hear that the juniors are going to give a dance, but I don’t think they will make any large amount like this, because they will have to pay for music and refreshments.”

Grace could not help feeling proud of the success of the bazaar now that the judge’s check had arrived, although at first she had demurred about accepting it.  However, as the judge absolutely refused to take it back, it was therefore duly presented to Marian Barber, who, with a feeling of extreme importance at handling so much money in her own name, deposited it in the Upton Bank, and was the recipient, for the first time in her life, of a small, neat-looking check book.  Later she showed it with great glee to the Phi Sigma Tau, who were drinking hot chocolate in the Harlowe’s sitting room, the day after school began.

“I feel just like a millionaire,” she exclaimed, “even though the money isn’t mine.  I’d just like to write one check to see how my name would look signed at the bottom here.”

“It does seem like a lot of money,” observed Anne thoughtfully, “but I’m afraid the check book won’t be of much use to you, Marian, as you will probably draw it all out in a lump when the time comes to hand it over to Miss Thompson.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” answered Marian, “we may have to give a few checks for expenses and things, the next entertainment we get up, and then I’ll have an opportunity.”

The girls laughed good-naturedly at Marian’s evident eagerness to draw a check.

“We’ll certainly have to incur some kind of expense for the express purpose of allowing Marian to draw a check,” said Nora.  “By the way, Grace, which booth made the most money, outside the auction, of course?”

“Eleanor Savell’s,” replied Grace promptly.  “They made most of it on confetti, too, although they sold quantities of flowers.  They turned in seventy-five dollars.”

“Eleanor certainly did work,” observed Anne.  “One feels as though one could forgive her all her sins after the success she made of her booth.  It is a shame that so much ability and cleverness is choked and crowded out by wilfulness and temper.”