‘But what has that to do with Val?’

’Georgie, being had up to Miss Leverett, made the sort of confession that implicates everybody.’

‘Then why believe her?’ muttered Gillian.  But her aunt went on—–­

’She said that four or five of them did it, from the notes that Valetta Merrifield brought to school.’

‘Never!’ interjected Gillian.

‘She said,’ continued Miss Mohun, ’it was first that they saw her helping Maura White, and they thought that was not fair, and insisted on her doing the same for them.’

‘It can’t be true!  Oh, don’t believe it!’ cried the sister.

’I grieve to remind you that I showed you in the drawer in the dining-room chiffonier a translation of that very book of Caesar that your mother and I made years ago, when she was crazy upon Vercingetorix.’

‘But was that reason enough for laying it upon poor Val?’

‘She owned it.’

There was a silence, and then Gillian said—–­

‘She must have been frightened, and not known what she was saying.’

’She was frightened, but she was very straightforward, and told without any shuffling.  She saw the old copy-books when I was showing you those other remnants of our old times, and one day it seems she was in a great puzzle over her lessons, and could get no help or advice, because none of us had come in.  I suppose you were with Lilian, and she thought she might just look at the passage.  She found Maura in the same difficulty, and helped her; and then Georgie Purvis and Nelly Black found them out, and threatened to tell unless she showed them her notes; but the copying whole phrases was only done quite of late in the general over-hurry.’

‘She must have been bullied into it,’ cried Gillian.  ’I shall go and see about her.’

Aunt Ada made a gesture as of deprecation; but Aunt Jane let her go without remonstrance, merely saying as the door closed—–­

‘Poor child!  Esprit de famille!’

‘Will it not be very bad for Valetta to be petted and pitied?’

’I don’t know.  At any rate, we cannot separate them at night, so it is only beginning it a little sooner; and whatever I say only exasperates Gillian the more.  Poor little Val, she had not a formed character enough to be turned loose into a High School without Mysie to keep her in order.’

‘Or Gillian.’

’I am not so sure of Gillian.  There’s something amiss, though I can’t make out whether it is merely that I rub her down the wrong way.  I wonder whether this holiday time will do us good or harm!  At any rate, I know how Lily felt about Dolores.’

‘It must have been that class-mistress’s fault.’

’To a great degree; but Miss Leverett has just discovered that her cleverness does not compensate for a general lack of sense and discipline.  Poor little Val—–­perhaps it is her turning-point!’

Gillian, rushing up in a boiling state of indignation against everybody, felt the family shame most acutely of all; and though, as a Merrifield, she defended her sister below stairs, on the other hand she was much more personally shocked and angered at the disgrace than were her aunts, and far less willing to perceive any excuse for the culprit.