“I refuse to plead guilty to the last statement!” exclaimed Grace.  “Believe me, Mrs. Allison, there are a dozen girls in High School who are far more popular than I.”

“There is only one Grace Harlowe,” said Anne, with conviction.

“It is a case of two against one, Miss Grace,” laughed Mrs. Allison.  “I insist upon hearing about some of your good works.”

“It’s really time for us to go, girls,” said Grace, laughing a little.  She rose and held out her hand to the older woman.

“You are very cruel,” smiled Mrs. Allison.  “You arouse my curiosity and then refuse to satisfy it.  But you cannot escape so easily.  You must come to see me again before I leave here.  I shall not try to return to the Gibsons before Wednesday.  I expect Mr. Gibson here to-morrow and he will attend to my New York business for me.  If I had accepted his offer in the first place, I might have spared myself this accident.  However, I am glad, now.  It has brought me charming friends.  For I feel that we shall become friends,” she added, stretching out both hands.  “When will you come again?”

“On Tuesday afternoon after school,” replied Grace promptly.  “And we will bring Miss Bright, too, unless she and Mabel have some other engagement.”

There was purpose in Grace’s last remark.  She wished to see if the name “Mabel” made any impression upon her listener, and therefore kept her eyes fixed upon Mrs. Allison.

As Grace carelessly mentioned the name she saw an expression of pain flit across Mrs. Allison’s fine face.

“I shall be glad to see Miss Bright,” she said quietly.  “Is the ‘Mabel’ you speak of her sister?”

“No,” replied Grace hastily, “she is a girl friend.  May we bring her with us?”

“Do so by all means,” rejoined Mrs. Allison.  “She bears the name I love best in all the world.”  An expression of deep sadness crept into her face as she uttered these words, and she looked past her callers with unseeing eyes.  “Good-bye, Mrs. Allison,” said Grace, and the older woman roused herself with a start.

“Good-bye, my dears,” she responded.  “Be sure to come to me on Tuesday.”

“We’ll be here,” chorused the three girls.  “Take good care of yourself.”

Not a word was spoken until they reached the street.

“Well!” exclaimed Grace.  “What do you think of the whole thing?”

“I think there are several people due to get a shock,” said Nora emphatically.

“I am sorry for Jessica,” said Anne.  “It will be very hard for her to give Mabel up.”

“Then you think—­” said Grace, looking at Anne.

“I am reasonably sure,” replied Anne quietly, “from what I have heard and seen to-day that Mabel is no longer motherless.”

CHAPTER III

WHAT HAPPENED IN ROOM FORTY-SEVEN

As the last period of study drew to an end on Tuesday afternoon, the hearts of the four girl chums beat a trifle faster than usual.  What if after all their conjectures were to prove erroneous, and Mabel Allison was not the long-lost daughter of the woman in the hospital?  All they had to go by was the remarkable resemblance between the two, and the slight emotion displayed by Mrs. Allison at the mention of Mabel’s name.