A queer silence fell upon the chattering group of girls and for several dreadful moments every eye was turned on Alma, who, white as a sheet, was staring blankly at the uncompromising word written after her name.
"I--I can"t understand," she said presently, in a scared, voice. "I _did_ take the examination--and I thought I really got through. I can"t understand. Why should it be cancelled?" She turned her big, frightened eyes to Nancy, who, as pale as she was, only stared back at her.
"Why should my examination be cancelled?" repeated Alma, dazedly. "Was anyone else"s cancelled too?"
"No. One, two, six girls flunked--and--for goodness" _sake_--Mildred Lloyd made the highest mark, Ninety-three! Mildred Lloyd, come here, and get your medal! Congratulations!"
Mildred strolled up nonchalantly, glanced at the board and turned away; only Nancy followed her curiously with her eyes. Then she turned to Alma.
"Haven"t you any idea why your examination was cancelled?" she asked, in an odd voice that sounded as if her throat was dry. Alma shook her head.
"It"s very strange. Come and let"s ask Miss Drinkwater. Maybe it"s only that your paper was lost or something like that." She tried to sound comforting, but she had no faith in her suggestion. Just then, however, the bell rang, and the girls had to go to their desks. Miss Leland took her place at one end of the room and stood waiting for silence. Everyone felt that she was there to make some important announcement and her grave, cold expression led all of them to suspect that it was not an entirely pleasant one.
She waited a moment after the room was silent. Alma looked piteously at Nancy, with a glance that said, "She"s going to say something about me." Nancy kept her eyes fixedly on Miss Leland. Her lips were pressed together tightly, and her hands had grown as cold and damp as though she had just taken them out of ice-water. Her heart was beating so heavily that the frill on her shirt-waist trembled.
Miss Leland took a step forward, straightened a book on the big desk, and then looked up.
"Girls, for the first time in the history of this school, I am compelled to make an announcement that is as great a humiliation to me as it must be to you," she said, in a quiet, even voice.
"Ever since this school was founded there has never until now been any occasion when I have been forced to doubt the honor of one of my pupils." She made another pause, and in that silence an electric thrill seemed to pa.s.s through each one of the girls; some of them flushed scarlet and others went white, as though each one felt in a hazy way some share in the guilt of the unnamed culprit.
"For the first time in eighteen years one of my teachers has had to bring to my attention the fact that a pupil of this school attempted to _cheat_ in an examination. That examination has, of course, been cancelled, so that that girl"s attempt to win a high mark, _dishonestly_, availed her nothing.
"I do not need, I am sure, to incite in you feelings of disgust and shame for that girl"s action. Your own sense of honor makes any warnings on my part superfluous and insulting to you.
"Fortunately, the imposition was discovered, because that girl most unwisely left the interlinear translation of Virgil"s aeneid, which she had used to a.s.sist her in the examination, on her desk, where it was found, and brought to me.
"I do not choose to announce the name of that girl, much as she merits the public disgrace. I shall speak to her privately, and if she can offer, which is not likely, any defense of her action, I may soften her punishment. Otherwise, I have no choice left to me than to expel her from a school which she has disgraced. Now, you may go to your cla.s.s-rooms."
The girls rose in silence, and hardly knowing what they were doing, began feverishly to collect their books and papers. But neither Alma nor Nancy moved. In a few moments the a.s.sembly hall was empty, save for the two sisters, neither of whom seemed to have been conscious of the curious glances cast at them by the other girls as they went out.
When they were alone, Nancy got up and went over to Alma, who sat as if she had been turned to stone, with a face as white as chalk.
"Alma, of course I know you didn"t do it," said Nancy, laying her hand on her sister"s, and speaking in a gentle, trembling voice.
"Oh, Nancy, it"s so horrible--it"s so horrible," moaned Alma. "I don"t know how all this could have happened. What shall I do, Nancy? What in the world shall I do?"
"Come, dearest, let"s go up-stairs," coaxed Nancy. "It"ll come out all right. Come, dear."
"Of course, now everyone knows that Miss Leland meant me," said Alma, dully. "Am I going to be expelled; Nancy? I can"t stand it--I won"t stand it. Come on, Nancy, let"s get our things and go home."
"Alma, darling, you _didn"t_ do it?" cried Nancy, the very shadow of such a doubt making her feel faint and ill. Alma lifted a wan face and smiled.
"I don"t _know_ that I didn"t do it," she said, drearily. "If they found a trot on my desk--and it must have been my desk, because mine was the only examination that was cancelled--why, how can I prove that I wasn"t using it?"
"But you don"t even own such a thing! You wouldn"t dream of having one. In some schools girls are allowed to use interlinear translations for their daily work, but it"s not permitted here, and it wouldn"t have entered your mind to get one. Come, we"ll go to Miss Leland at once.
She"s alone in her office now."
Alma let herself be guided up to the princ.i.p.al"s cosy little sanctum, where Miss Leland was seated at her desk writing. A wood-fire smoldered with friendly warmth on the brightly burnished andirons, and a clear, wintry sunlight fell in through the curtained windows, where a perfect garden of indoor plants bloomed gaily. But all these pleasant, homelike things seemed to share the chill hostility of Miss Leland"s level glance, as the two sisters stood looking at her timidly from the threshold of the open door.
"You may come in," she said, with a curt nod. "No doubt, Alma, you wish to offer some explanation. Be seated."
"My sister wanted to say that there was a mistake. The book you referred to was never in her possession, and she did not use it at her examination," said Nancy, speaking rapidly, and almost harshly, in her endeavor to keep from breaking into a fit of hysterical tears. Alma was quite incapable of saying a word for herself.
"Then I am sorry that it happened to be found on her desk just after she had left the examination-room," replied Miss Leland dryly, her tone expressing her complete lack of belief in Nancy"s words.
"Alma, did you have that book?" asked Nancy, turning sharply to her sister. Miss Leland opened a drawer of her writing-table and took out a small volume, bound in green cloth, which she handed over to Alma.
Alma had already opened her lips to utter a frantic denial to Nancy"s question, when her eyes fell upon the book. She shut her mouth with a sudden gasp, and without taking it, simply stared at the inoffensive little volume with a fixed, horrified gaze.
"Is that an interlinear?" she exclaimed breathlessly. "Is that the book that was found on my desk?"
"So you _have_ seen it before," remarked Miss Leland. "Alma, this is a very serious matter. There can be no excuse for a girl"s making use of any text-book whatever at an examination. A failure is to be deplored, but it is not a disgrace--and it is to be very much regretted that you did not choose rather to run the risk of an honorable failure than to attempt to steal a good mark, I have no choice in the matter. I am very sorry that I had to speak of it before the school, but I had to make a public example of the girl who could stoop to such an act. You understand, of course, that it will be impossible for you to continue as a pupil in this school."
For some reason Alma had grown quite calm, and when Miss Leland had finished speaking, instead of appearing to be overcome by the grim meaning in the last words, she rose quietly.
"Of course, if you cannot take my word for it that I never looked inside that book or anything like it in my whole life, why there is no use in my saying anything more," she said, with the utmost self-possession. "I don"t know how it came to be on my desk----"
"Alma, I am anxious to believe a girl is innocent until she is proved guilty," said Miss Leland, impressed by Alma"s coolness, "only--you _have_ seen this volume before?" She looked at the girl with a still doubtful and puzzled expression.
Alma hesitated a moment before she admitted slowly:
"Yes, I have seen it, Miss Leland. But I never knew what it was."
"You have seen it in the possession of some girl in this school?"
"That I can"t answer," replied Alma, with a firmness that Nancy had never seen in her before. "I--I don"t think you have a right to ask me any more questions, Miss Leland. If--if you just let the whole business go, I"m perfectly willing to--to bear the blame. Please don"t ask me any more questions. Let it be as it is. Just as long as Nancy is satisfied that I never did that hateful thing, why, I don"t mind, you know."
The two sisters looked at each other happily, each of them sincerely indifferent as to whether anyone else in the school believed Alma innocent or guilty.
"Come on, Nancy," said Alma, almost gaily. They had started to leave the room, when Miss Leland called them back.
"I am very anxious to believe in you, Alma. If there has been a mistake, be a.s.sured that it will be set right. I will tell the other girls at luncheon that--well, I must see. I am in a difficult position. You may both go now. I would advise you to go directly to your cla.s.ses."
Nancy was curiously absent-minded as they made their way down-stairs, hand in hand. Then all at once she drew in her breath sharply, catching her under lip between her teeth. On the bottom step she stopped short and, putting her hands on Alma"s shoulder, swung her about so that she could look into her eyes. Her own were very bright.
"What is it?" asked Alma; then, for some reason, she colored and turned her eyes away.
"I know now where I saw that book myself, Alma," said Nancy.
"Nancy!" Alma"s blue eyes now suddenly filled with tears. "Oh, Nancy--you won"t say anything. No, no, you didn"t see it. Please don"t believe that of her."
"Two Sundays ago when I was talking to you--I noticed it in the bookcase in your room. I kept reading the t.i.tles on the books when I--you know the way you do when you"re worried. It stood between a copy of "Bryce"s Commonwealth" and a French grammar----"
"Nancy, you mustn"t say anything, do you hear?" insisted Alma, beseechingly.
"I won"t say anything. But--but I"m going to--you go on to cla.s.s. I tell you, I won"t say anything. Oh, Alma, you darling! Go on to cla.s.s, I say."
"Nancy, what are you going to do?" demanded Alma, as Nancy broke away from her and ran up the stairs again. "You aren"t going to Miss Leland?"