Elfreda shrewdly. "If you did, I can't see why Mrs. Elwood consented
to take Miss Taylor."

"I did not arrange for a single room," was the stiff response.

"Then you haven't any case, have you?" queried Elfreda cheerfully.
"Now, see here. I am going to tell you a few things. You are
beginning all wrong. It is just what I did last year, and I had a
pretty disagreeable time, you may rest assured. The best thing you
can do is to tell Miss Taylor to come and claim her half of the room
before anything happens to you. If you leave Wayne Hall, sooner or
later the whole college will hear of it and it won't help you to be
popular, either. It is easy enough to do as you please regardless of
whether or not it pleases others, but you are bound to pay for the
privilege. If you don't believe me, just wait and see."

A flush mounted to the defiant stranger's cheeks.

"Public opinion is usually a matter of small importance to me," she
said, but her tone of lofty indifference was not convincing. "There
is, however, a certain amount of wisdom in what you have just said.
I should not care to appear ridiculous in the eyes of the really
important students at Overton. You may inform Miss Taylor that I have
altered my decision. I shall raise no further objections to her as
a roommate."

With a pompous gesture of dismissal this self-centered young woman
rose and walked majestically to the window. Turning her back squarely
upon Grace and Elfreda, she appeared to be deeply absorbed in
watching what went on in the street, and, divided between vexation