"Did you ever think, Miss Ashe," she said presently, "what a chaotic, unpleasant place this world would be without law, and order, and discipline?" Blue Bonnet had to confess that she had not thought much about it. "Think _now_, for a moment. Take the case of your friend, Carita. If there had been no rule against your going to the Infirmary this morning, and Carita had come down with a contagious disease, you, by your presence there for only a moment, might have carried the contagion to a dozen others. Would you have had the right to do that, do you think, simply because of your interest in your friend?" Blue Bonnet shook her head slowly. "And in regard to sending for your aunt. Could you not have trusted Miss North, my child? She has been operating this school successfully for many years. She has the interest of each and every pupil at heart--she knows their needs. She has perfect confidence in our physician." "Yes, but Mary--one of the girls--said that he was awfully slow and old fashioned, and I--" "Mary Boyd is only a silly little girl. She wouldn't know the qualifications of a good doctor if she were asked to give them. You should never rely on immature judgment. It is apt to be colored with prejudice." Blue Bonnet got up. "I reckon I have made a mistake, Professor Howe. I'm sorry. I was so awfully worried and upset about Carita." "Of course you were. I can quite understand that. On the other hand, we do not expect you to love and trust us all at once. Confidence comes by degrees; but we _do_ want you to believe that your _best_ interests are considered here--always." Blue Bonnet started to leave the room. "One moment, Miss Ashe. Will you say to Fraulein Herrmann what you have just said to me--that you are sorry--sorry for what she deems an impertinence on your part in the study hall?" Blue Bonnet flushed to the roots of her brown hair. "But I am _not_ sorry, Professor Howe." "Not sorry to have been rude, Miss Ashe?" "I think Fraulein Herrmann was rude to me. She called to me before the whole room--she--" "You were disobeying the rules, Miss Ashe. Fraulein was right. Study hour is not the time for letter writing. You will apologize, I am sure." The little smile so rare and fleeting that Blue Bonnet loved appeared for a brief second. It won the girl as nothing else could. "I will then--to please you," she answered, and went to find Fraulein immediately.