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She must hurry if she wanted to catch the old woman before the latter closed up for the night. Anne had not thought of looking behind. Her mind, so trained to concentration, was now bent only upon one object. But would it have swerved her from her present purpose, even if she had noticed Miss Leece following her? The High School was still open, although Anne could not find the janitress.
"Who were the people?" demanded Grace incredulously. "The janitress, who saw her from the window of another room, and Miss Leece." "I thought so," exclaimed Grace, with a note of triumph in her voice. "It is Miss Leece, is it, who is trumping up all this business? I tell you, I don't believe a word of it, Miss Thompson.
"I will put the question in another form," said the principal. "If you were not the originator, who was?" Still Anne made no reply. "Miss Leece," continued the principal, "alleges that she distinctly saw you standing by the figure. She did not recognize the other faces.
In that volume was narrated the race for the freshman prize, so generously offered each year by Mrs. Gray, sponsor of the freshman class, and the efforts of Miriam Nesbit aided by the disagreeable teacher of algebra, Miss Leece, to ruin the career of Anne Pierson, the brightest pupil of Oakdale High School.
"Have you never seen that green silk before?" Grace was in a brown study. Anne could not recall it and Nora was groping in the dark. "I'll tell you this much," said Jessica, who loved a mystery; "It just matches a certain veil " "Miss Leece!" exclaimed Grace. "It's a piece of the trimming on an old dress she sometimes wears." "Exactly," said Jessica.
Miss Thompson was a woman to keep her own counsel; but the affair never came up before the School Board and Miss Leece, after that, though somewhat stiff in her manner, had no more outbursts of rage for some time. Undoubtedly her display of favoritism in the algebra class had lost her the day. Miss Thompson was a woman of fine judgment and broad and just views.
"I believe you are right," admitted the principal after a moment's thought, "and I trust, under the circumstances, that the whole affair can be settled without the interference of the School Board. Suppose you leave Miss Leece to me. And young people," she added, "if you will promise to say nothing more about the subject, I think Miss Leece may be persuaded to let the matter drop."
And Anne's words had more meaning than either of them realized at the time. Imagine the surprise and horror of the Hallowe'en party when, next morning, they discovered the effigy of Miss Leece planted right in front of the Girls' High School! And the teacher herself was the first to see the impious outrage.
Never in that teacher's experience had he taught a more brilliant pupil. Miss Thompson looked with interest at the algebra papers. If this had not come up, she thought, Miss Leece would certainly have managed to find a flaw somewhere, even if she had had to invent one. But under the circumstances, it was more to that wily woman's purpose to give Anne her due.
Now, what perfume is it, and who in the class uses it? I am not familiar with perfumes, but I thought perhaps you were. And now, I will tell you that this is the reason I sent for you. The reason I showed you this letter, which has only been seen by one other person besides myself Miss Leece, of course. I do not wish to tell anyone else about this matter.
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