But Miss Hope," cried Sue, blushing deeply at the accusation, "that is not my box at all! Mine was bright red and with 'Cubebs' on the outside!"

"Miss Roberts!" Miss Thaw's voice was trembling with anger. "Do you mean to imply I did not find this box in the locked drawer of your desk? To prove it to your entire satisfaction, here is the only other article in the drawer, this little box in which is a chain bracelet."

any one want to?

All this time Virginia stood with her head erect, her eyes fixed directly upon Miss Thaw. As far as any farther outward sign of emotion, she was absolutely cold and hard to all Sue's wild beseeching.

"This is certainly a strange case," and Miss Hope rested her head wearily upon her hand. "As for Sue's escapade last night it was small, indeed, compared to this grave offence and the falsehood to cover it—if it is a falsehood, which I much doubt. But, if Sue is telling the truth, who changed the boxes? This must be settled at once. I wish, Miss Gribble, you would call Miss Cutting."

Martha Cutting came, gentle and sweetly smiling, as always.

Yes, she had been in Number 21 the day Sue had offered them the cigarettes. Yes, Sue had said they were cubebs, and had wanted her to take one but she had disliked the odor

whiff and then she, too, had declined, but Sue had smoked one and afterward locked the box up in her desk, and said she would give them to the girls of the Minnehaha in a peace pipe. Yes, it was she, Martha, who had told Miss Thaw, for she felt the other girls might be tempted.

"Why did you not come to me?” inquired Miss Miss Hope sternly; "and do you mean that you thought the cigarettes were

"But I can't, Miss Thaw. I can't confess to what I have n't done - can I? I do not understand it at all; I put a red box in the drawer and have never unlocked it since and you found this! Of course any of the desk

"Then you are sure this is the box?" "Yes, I am."

"Miss Clayton says Miss Roberts is right, that her box was red, and contained cubebs, and that this box is hers. How can that be?"

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE BEGINNING OF SUSAN.

The breeze of June sent shimmering ripples across the ivied walls of Hope Hall. Above the tower a flag floated, and the pillars of the great veranda were wound with pink and green, the colors of the senior class.

Girls in dainty gowns and fluttering ribbons rushed to and fro, and busy teachers moved among them pausing to subdue spirits that seemed poised too high, or to breathe courage into the shrinking few, who with vacant gaze and trembling limbs, muttered to themselves for the thousandth time the words of their orations, or hummed the vagrant air that threatened each moment to slip forever from their treacherous memories.

"I never can do it!" groaned May Price. "I'd rather never be graduated than to stand up before that crowd. I get as far as, 'We are about to set sail in our little painted ships upon the great ocean of life' and then everything is black before my eyes. For pity's sake, Nan, what comes next?"

Shall we float in safety upon its mighty bosom, or shall we be wrecked upon its treacherous shoals,'" glibly quoted Nan. "There is n't a soul in Hope Hall that does n't know it by heart, except perhaps it 's Helen Campbell, and she is so daffy over her Browning's Relation to the Universe,' that she does n't know if she is up hill or down dale. I met her on the stairs a minute ago and she positively clung to me, begging me to try to remember the next sentence after he looms on our mental horizon like a Colossus of Rhodes.'

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Great king of the goblins,' said she, 'have mercy on me, or else my name is mud,' chanted Sue, who was flying by. "Cheer up, May, honey, I'll mind the 'little painted ship' place; so look at me and I'll give you a boost. But don't, don't let me slip off the key in that last cadenza, for if I do my heart will be broken up into little bits."

"No danger of her failing," said May, as she hurried on. "Does n't she sing that aria beautifully? I'm awfully glad Miss Gribble put her on the program, if she is only a Freshie. I don't believe I ever saw a girl

improve as much in every way as Sue has in the last few months-even Miss Thaw had to admit that yesterday, when Miss Sargent showed her Sue's standing in geometry, and Sue does hate it so."

"Oh, Sue 's all right; she is the most forgiving soul that ever breathed. Martha Cutting would have waited many a cold day before I should have forgiven her."

When Sue had first understood that Martha had really plotted against her-it was so foreign to her own frank and generous nature she found it hard to believe-she thought, too, she could never forgive her. But that was when she thought it was for the prize in music, the trip abroad, and Miss Gribble's praise, that Martha would have sacrificed her; when she came to see it was love of Virginia that had been Martha's chief temptation she forgave her at once.

Martha was on her knees before her trunk when Sue, after waiting vainly for her "come in," opened the door.

"O Martha," she began; but at first sight of that tear-stained face her heart melted with pity and she ran to her side. "Please, Martha, let me help," she begged. "I can pack beautifully. You go right over there to my bed and lie down and rest. Let me bathe your head and make you comfortable, do."

"You.. you . . ." gasped Martha, "why Sue Roberts, you don't mean you want to be kind to me! Why I . . . I was wicked . . . C Sue, I never . . ."

"There, there, dearie," and Sue's arms were about her, holding her close, "don't you feel so bad, if I'd been as good as I ought to have been it never could have happened. It was my slangy, wild ways that turned Miss Thaw against me, and my first disobedience that made Miss Hope suspicious. I'm going to try to do better now, so it will all turn out for the best for both of us, and we will be good friends always."

"For you, perhaps," sobbed Martha, "but O Sue, never for me. I am so ashamed, so disgusted with myself. Miss Hope is right, it was my . . my foolish vanity and jealousy that made me do it. I did love Virginia so and she never seemed to care for anybody but you.

be sent away she found it hard to forgive. But when she saw Martha enter the carriage that was to take her away from Hope Hall forever, Virginia's heart melted, and flying out to the carriage she sprang upon the step.

"I forgive you with my whole heart," she whispered, kissing Martha tenderly, "and I hope you will be happy in your new school. Good-bye, good-bye!"

But now Hope Hall had reached its commencement time, and everyone was in gala dress and gala mood, and all the troubles of the year were in the past.

Virginia's Aunt Sibyl had decided to run over from Monroe to say good-bye to her, as Virginia was to go on at once to New York to see her father, who had returned from his long trip the week before. Mrs. Marshall said nothing of the great surprise she had for the girls, so when she arrived with Thad, well, strong and sunburned, there had been a great jubilee in Number 21. And Sue, since they could n't wait for Virginia to write a verse for the occasion, insisted that "Whoopsy saw, sine craw" be sung then and there.

The graduating exercises passed off beautifully, in spite of dark prophesies. To be sure May did stumble over her little painted ships, but Sue, true to her word, gave her such an encouraging nod, and formed so plainly with her lips "shall we float in safety. ." that nobody but the two girls ever knew of the awful moment. Sue herself swept down her cadenza in fine style, and Helen settled Browning's place in the universe in a blaze of glory.

Some hours later when Hope Hall was radiant with lights and tuneful with music and with the hum of many voices, Sue and Thad sat on the stair together to enjoy an ice, and watch the pretty scene.

"It has been a beautiful year, in spite of its troubles, has n't it, Thad? asked Sue, waving a gay salute to happy May, who passed down the hall on her father's arm.

"The best of my life," agreed Thad. "When I think what a funk I was in when I found I was n't going to college this year it makes me laugh. Why, Sue, I've gained points with those men-not theories, you know, but real,

practical knowledge that I should n't have gotten in my whole college course."

"And now you 're back so well and strong! I 'm sure, Thad, there's One who knows what's best for us. I thought I was coming to Hope Hall to study music and geometry, but I have found the hardest thing was to govern myself, and I have a good deal to learn in that branch yet."

'I rather miss the old Sioux, with her florid speeches, though," laughed Thad, “I'm afraid of this dignified Susan."

"You need n't be; for alas, I have n't lost all my picturesque language. I find it is n't the easiest thing in the world to forget. And I'm not really Susan yet, I 'm just beginning to be."

"You see," said Thad, showing her his watch fob, "I still carry the key, though, I believe, you refuse to wear my bracelet."

"Oh, no," laughed Sue, holding out her hand that he might see, "I've got it on tonight. Don't you tell a soul, but Virginia sewed it on with a good, strong thread; for I would n't have the thing locked-I just could n't get my breath if the key turned, Thad." "Queer old girl; I don't know but I like all the better for it. You'll settle down some day, though, and never mind the padlock."

you

"I don't believe it. I can't imagine myself doing anything but dancing along at my own sweet will.

But is n't it lovely, Thad, about father? He's back from Mexico, so much bet ter that the doctor says he need not give up his preaching entirely, and he 's doing a splendid work in a mission in Chicago."

"And Cherryfair, Aunt Sibyl tells me, is deserted."

"Yes, that was hard; but Mandy went with them, and Masie writes they have a dear old house on a little park and they are learning to love their new home almost as much as Cherryfair. Of course you know I am not coming back to Hope Hall next year. Whatever shall I do without Virginia?"

"Tell her, Thad," whispered Virginia, who had just joined them, settling down like a little pink cloud among her ruffles at Sue's feet, "tell her, it's too good to keep."