As she drew near Margaret’s room, she caught the sound of excited voices. Abby Dunbar’s tones reached her, high-pitched and shrill.

“You have been a fraud, nothing but a fraud, from beginning to end. You have imposed upon us all. There is no use trying to carry it off with such a high hand! You led us all to suppose that your people were respectable, and so we took you in, and now it seems that your mother was nothing but a servant, and–”

“And perhaps you would also like to know (as you evidently are not aware of the fact as yet), that my father was a coachman. I am exceedingly proud of them both, and–”

“I don’t see how you dare to stand there and face us! Let me tell you one thing, though–”

Dolly ran hastily down the hall. She could stand it no longer. Her indignation burned hotly for Margaret. Why were girls so much narrower than boys? Rob Steele had been a coachman and errand-boy, and even a bootblack. He did not hesitate to say so; and yet, with possibly a very few exceptions, none of the students at Harvard treated him with any the less respect for it. But Margaret–

Dolly paused in the doorway, almost breathless. “Oh, Margaret, we are going to have a little impromptu tea in my room–Miss Van Gerder, and a couple of others. I have been sent for you. Please come!”

“You do not know that you are inviting the daughter of a coachman and a housekeeper, Miss Alden. It is time for people to know exactly who and what our class president is. She has been sailing under false colors long enough.”

Margaret stood pale and cold during this tirade. The room was full of sophomores–Abby Dunbar’s sympathizers, as was very evident.

“Oh, yes,” said Dolly carelessly, “of course I’ve known all about Miss Hamilton’s parents since early in our freshman year, but I didn’t see what difference it made. Are you going to ask us all to write out our ancestral history for your benefit? I’m afraid that we are too good republicans here to do that for you. By the way, Margaret, Miss Van Gerder is going to beg permission of Professor Newton for you to room with her. In fact, she has gone to her now, and she wants to coax you into the plan.”

Dolly threw this little bombshell with secret glee. If Miss Van Gerder intended taking Margaret up, how could these girls, with not a tithe of her wealth or standing, urge their petty reasons for snubbing Margaret?

She carried her off before there was time for further controversy. There should be no more ill words said than she could help. It is hard to unsay harsh things. It is much better to prevent their being uttered at all. There would doubtless be enough said at best, but Dolly felt that her prompt action had probably prevented a few bitter flings anyway. At the door of her room Margaret detained her. Dolly had chattered all of the way down the hall. Margaret had not uttered a word. Now she looked steadily at Dolly.“Are you not laboring under some delusion or excitement? I had better give you the details of our family history before I go in.”

“Nonsense! I have known your history, as I said, since the Christmas holidays. What does it matter? Come in, and Beth shall make tea for us.”

“But do tell me how you knew.”

“I will tell you everything, only come in,” and Dolly gave her a good-natured push into the room where the others were waiting for them, for Mary and Miss Van Gerder had already returned with permission for Margaret to change rooms, if she desired.

“I sincerely hope that you do desire, for I really want you, Margaret.”

“You are very good, Miss Van Gerder.”

“Now stop right there, Margaret. Whether you room with me or not, you shall not be formal. My name is Constance, and you know it very well.”

“I never called you by it,” said Margaret steadily.

“I hope you will now. Please don’t spoil the entire year for me. If you will consent to share my rooms, and let me make up for my thoughtlessness in so far as I may, you will be doing me a great favor.”

“I do not see why you should not have said what you did; it was the truth, and there was no reason why it should not have been told. You must not feel that you owe me any reparation. That is not true. So far as I am concerned, while the present moment may be a little disagreeable in many respects, I cannot altogether regret what has occurred. Mother, naturally, will feel sorry, but there cannot be further disclosures, for I filled in, for Miss Dunbar’s benefit, all the details that you had omitted. She knows that Father was your uncle’s coachman, and–”

“And he was a good one, and we all liked him. What a tempest in a teapot this is! Now be sensible. You are going to be my room-mate as a favor to me. I beg it. That is settled. I shall see that Patrick comes and moves your trunks this afternoon, and as soon as we have had some of Miss Newby’s tea, we are all going over to your room to help you carry the lighter things. There is no need to bother packing those.”

“Of course not,” said Beth readily. “We shall be delighted to help you. With five of us at work, we shall have everything moved in half an hour.”

Margaret looked only half-satisfied. She had pride, too. If Constance Van Gerder was taking her in a spirit of self-sacrifice, she had no intention of becoming her room-mate. Things would not be pleasant, but she could stand it, even if she were ostracized.

But Constance read her easily, and without referring again to the subject, she soothed her wounded pride and contrived to let her know that she was actually wanted.

A little later they all started for Margaret’s room to aid her in the “moving process.” The room was still filled with Abby Dunbar’s friends, and they were evidently much excited.

Constance included them all in the cool little nod that she gave on entering. “You must not bear malice against me, Miss Dunbar, for stealing your room-mate. I did not know that she was at Westover, so I made arrangements to room alone, but now I must put in my claim. My right is the prior one, for I have known her so much longer.”Constance had been talking against time. She wanted Margaret to leave the room with her load of small articles. There was just one word that she intended saying to these girls on the subject they were discussing; then she intended to have the matter closed forever, so far as she was concerned.

Abby Dunbar herself gave the opportunity for the desired remark, just as Margaret passed from the room.

“Are you actually in earnest? I did not believe you could mean it! Have you asked her to room with you? Of course, we understand that you did it in a charitable spirit, and because you are sorry for her position here, since she has been found out, but–”

“Excuse my interrupting you. I have asked Miss Hamilton to room with me because her companionship will be a pleasure. I had to coax rather hard before she would consent. There is just one other thing to be said. Our sitting-room is common property, and I shall never care to see anyone there who is at all discourteous to Margaret!”

With that she turned away and picked up a pile of Margaret’s books. She had made a telling speech and she knew it. Constance could not be unaware of the influence she exerted socially, by means of her mere name. The girls would not wish to shut themselves out from all the privileges of her room, and there would be no more open acts of aggression so far as Margaret was concerned. Of that Constance felt assured. At the same time it was certain that Margaret would be subjected to many petty slights and snubs and wounds. But she would have to endure those, and her nature was too fine to allow of her growing bitter because of them.

There was gossip and much quiet talk, but Constance Van Gerder’s determined stand put an end to open insults and recriminations. Two days later, there was another subject for gossip, also, for Margery Ainsworth had been readmitted to college on “probation.” Such a thing had rarely been known before, and the stigma of disgrace attaching to such students as were on “probation” was great. It was understood that they were under special surveillance, and the many privileges accorded other students were withheld from them. Of course, Margery had come back as a freshman. The girls had heard that Mr. Ainsworth was intensely angry with Margery, and had declared that she must stay at Westover until she graduated, if it took a hundred years. She was to room with a freshman, and, judging from her expression, she had come back reluctantly and rebelliously. Dolly and Beth talked it over, and wondered what good end Mr. Ainsworth could hope to effect by sending her to college, when she was in such an obstinate frame of mind.

“At least, she has diverted the attention of the girls from Margaret, and, Beth, I like her more than I ever supposed I could. Didn’t she preside with dignity at our class meeting last evening, though? No one would ever have guessed how some of the girls stormed at her only a few days ago.”

“’Tis fortunate that she has Constance Van Gerder as a loyal friend. To tell the truth, I think that she is relieved now. There is nothing for her to hide or cover up. We must see Constance about the class elections, though. They will come in two days, and I am positive that Abby Dunbar will try to prevent Margaret’s being elected chairman of the executive committee. That is a position which has always been given to the retiring president, and certainly Margaret has done enough for our class to deserve the honor. It would be a shame to slight her.”

“Yes, it would. Constance is in her room now, I think, and Margaret will be at the literature lecture. Come, we will see her at once.”

Constance was very glad to promise her help to the girls, and the work commenced that day in earnest. They soon found that Abby and her particular coterie had been hard at work for some little time, but Margaret’s supporters labored with a will, and went to their class meeting with hopeful hearts.

“I am anxious about two offices,” Dolly confessed to Miss Van Gerder as she walked down the hall toward the room in which the meeting would be held. “I want to see Beth elected president, and I want Margaret made chairman of the executive committee.” Some way, rather to their own astonishment, Beth and Dolly found themselves on very intimate terms with Miss Van Gerder. The three, with Margaret, made a very congenial quartette.

Mary Sutherland felt at a disadvantage before this girl, whose father’s name was a world-wide synonym for wealth. She was never at her best when Constance was present. She utterly refused to go to her room, and Dolly finally lost all patience with her.

“You must have a very low opinion of yourself, Mary Sutherland, if you think that a few dollars are worth more than you are. Can’t you see what kind of a girl Constance Van Gerder is? Of course, she knows that she is immensely rich, but she is not silly. She doesn’t dress extravagantly, or load herself with jewelry. In fact, there are a dozen girls here, who spend more on dress in the course of a year than she does. Her gowns fit to perfection, and they are always made in good taste, but she doesn’t care for such things. She is forever doing quiet, lovely things for other people. Your aunt told me that she thought Miss Van Gerder would take up college settlement work. Whether she does or not, she will not be a useless butterfly of fashion.”

“There is no use my trying to know her better. We have nothing in common. I am poor and she is tremendously rich.”

“You mean that you are vilely proud, Mary Sutherland. If you were not so proud, you would see how gracious and lovely Constance Van Gerder is. It is just as much a crime for a poor person to be proud as for a rich one. Why can’t you be yourself, and enjoy Constance and her bright ways as Beth and I do?”

But Mary refused to listen to reason, and drew more and more into her shell. College had only been in session a short time now, but it was evident that Mary was going to isolate herself, despite all that Dolly and Beth could say, and despite Dolly’s exasperated appeals to Professor Newton. There was a strong vein of stubbornness in Mary, and much as she loved her aunt, she declined to argue this matter with her. “The girls had been good to her last year, because Dolly had been compelled to room with her, but she was not their kind, anyway, and she wasn’t going to force herself in where she was not wanted.”

Professor Newton and the girls had given up the effort in despair, and Mary was left to gang her ain gait. The sophomore elections had been deferred a little for one reason and another, and it was now the end of the third week.

If Margaret’s friends had worked hard in her behalf, the opposition had been working hard, also, and before the meeting had advanced far, Dolly began to lose heart.