"I am on your side whatever happens," she remarked.
"Thank you," said Prissie.
"Now, please, Miss Day."
"You must know who took the note," said Annie Day.
"I assure you I don't; I can't imagine how it has disappeared. Not a
soul came into the room while I was there. I did go away once for
about three minutes to fetch my Lexicon; but I don't suppose any one
came into Miss Oliphant's room during those few minutes-- there was no
one about to come."
"Oh, you left the room for about three minutes?"
"Perhaps three-- perhaps not so many. I had left my Lexicon in the
library; I went to fetch it."
"Oh," said Rosalind, suddenly taking the words out of Miss Day's
mouth, "when did you invent this little fiction?"
Prissie's eyes seemed suddenly to blaze fire. For the first time she
perceived the drift of the cruel suspicion which her fellow-students
were seeking to cast upon her. "How wicked you are!" she said to
Rosalind. "Why do you look at me like that? Miss Day, why do you
smile? Why do you all smile? Oh, Nancy," added poor Prissie, springing
to her feet and looking full into Nancy's troubled eyes, "what is the
matter?-- am I in a dream?"
"It is all very fine to be theatrical," said Miss Day, "but the fact
is, Miss Peel, you are not at all popular enough at St.
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