They were looking at her, and talking to each other. Her face turned red. She could not eat. One hand went deep into her apron pocket. Miss Rose quickly saw that something was wrong. She knew that little girls often made fun of the strangers, and it vexed her. "Any little girl who is not polite," she said, "may leave the table at once." The girls stopped talking, but they poked each other with their feet under the table. They were sure Clematis had stolen something, for she looked just as if she had. "Come, Clematis, eat your dinner now." "Yes'm," said Clematis. But it was hard to swallow the bread. She drank the soup, and left most of the bread by her bowl. As soon as the bell rang, Miss Rose beckoned to her. "Would you like to take Deborah to the playroom for a while, and play with her there?" Clematis looked very much surprised. She had expected some new trouble. "Oh, yes'm," she gasped, and started down to the kitchen, glad to get away from the other girls, who had been watching. Then Miss Rose beckoned to Jane. "Jane, what were the girls saying about Clematis at the table?" Jane hung her head. She did not like to repeat such awful things about Clematis, for she really liked her, though it was hard to teach her to work. "Tell me, Jane. Miss Rose wants to know." "The girls were saying she stole something." "Stole something? Why, what did she steal, Jane?" "I don't know. I just heard them saying she had stolen something. She looked just as if she had." "Very well. Thank you, Jane." Jane went down to the school room, where all the girls were eager to know what Clematis had stolen. But Jane could tell them nothing. "She just asked me what you said," Jane declared. "That's just like Jane," cried Sally. "She knows all the time, only she won't tell." While they were talking, Clematis was finding a cosy corner in the playroom, and smoothing out every hair on Deborah's smooth back. Deborah seemed very happy, and purred all the time. "I don't care if they do say mean things, and make noses at me. You won't ever, will you, Debby?" "Purr, purr, purr," said Deborah. No indeed, she never would. Time went fast, and it was three o'clock before Clematis had got Deborah settled down for sleep in a little bed she made for her beneath the window. "Take her downstairs now, Clematis," said Miss Rose, coming in. "Then come up to Mrs. Snow's room. We want to ask you some questions." Again Clematis turned red. She went slowly downstairs, with Deborah under one arm. The other hand deep in her apron pocket. "She surely looks as if something were wrong," thought Miss Rose, as Clematis disappeared. Clematis looked very unhappy when she went to Mrs. Snow's room. "Come in, little girl," said Mrs. Snow, kindly. "There are some things I want to ask you about." "Yes'm," replied Clematis, her lips quivering.