Had Agnes actually struck her, Dorothy could not have been more surprised. In the excitement and confusion of the finish of the performance, there was neither the time nor the opportunity for Dorothy to resent such a remark. But after she had reached The and her quiet, little room, the words seemed to burn themselves into her mind. How dared any one to speak so to her—a schoolgirl, with no thoughts of love?  
Pained and , she put aside all the play finery and threw herself across the bed. Scarcely had she done so ere she heard her aunt's step approaching.
 
"I came to congratulate you, my dear," said Mrs. White warmly. "Most of the success of the entertainment was due to—— Why—what—you are almost crying," and she stopped in some confusion.
 
"Oh, aunty!" Dorothy. "I seem to be so misunderstood lately. And Agnes Sinclair made such a queer—such a strange remark to me—just as I was leaving the last ."
 
"Why, what could she say, child?"
 
"She said—she said," and Dorothy hesitated, while the warm blood coursed to her pale cheeks—"she said—everybody knew Tom Scott was in—in love with me!"
 
Mrs. White simply stared at her niece. Then she shook her head ruefully, but she hardly knew what to say, for fear of further embarrassing Dorothy.
 
"Why, you dear, precious baby!" she exclaimed at length, as she placed her hand on Dorothy's head. "Doesn't everybody know what Agnes thinks of Tom? She is old enough to have such thoughts, and her reason for them on you, my dear, is merely a consequence of you—of you doing the work that older girls usually do. I should not have allowed you to take so much responsibility, Dorothy. We know, however," continued Mrs. White very gently, "that the pretty Agnes admires Mr. Scott very much. So you must excuse her seeming indiscretion."
 
Dorothy's mind was instantly relieved. If Agnes did like Tom, of course she might have thought he was neglecting her for Dorothy. And he had only been trying to help Dorothy—there were so many things to do.
 
"But Agnes seemed so fond of Ned," Dorothy after a pause.
 
"You are too tired to think about such things now," said Mrs. White firmly. "You are over-sensitive. Why should you care about so a thing as that?"
 
Dorothy did not answer. She was tired—very tired. Perhaps she was over-sensitive. But when she reflected that Ned had said almost the same thing——
 
To change the subject Mrs. White told her niece about Dr. , what he had said, and how interested he was in little Mary.
 
"Oh, I'm so glad of that," said Dorothy. "I hope——"
 
But at that moment Tavia her head in the door to see what was going on in Dorothy's room, that she had not come to her chum, or summoned her, to talk over the events of the evening.
 
"Ned is calling for you, Mrs. White," said Tavia.
 
"I'll go at once; but remember," she commanded playfully to the two girls, "no more to-night. To-morrow is another day."
 
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Tavia, when the door had closed on Mrs. White and the two girls were alone in Dorothy's room, "I'm so frightened, Doro, dear. I should have gone home. What am I going to say to my father?"
 
"I will do all the saying that is necessary," bravely offered Dorothy. "It was I who kept you."
 
"Yes, and I know why."
 
"Why, then?"
 
"Simply to fix it up for me. You never could intrust me with such an important commission."
 
"Well, I am sure when I have a chance to speak to your father—but, dear me, there are so many things!"
 
"Oh, Doro, I just want to ask you if you saw the ' ' in the audience? She was fairly e............