Conscious that the gaze of every soul in the room was on them, Duane and Kitty advanced to Miss St. Leger's dais. Of the two, Duane betrayed the least emotion; her calm imperturbability stood her in good stead now. Kitty was pale and trembling a little, but she looked the Principal straight in the face in her frank, fearless manner, and when she spoke her voice was clear and steady. "Do you still assert, Kitty, that you did not touch the balances when you went into the laboratory this morning?" "No, I did not touch them, Miss St. Leger," replied Kitty firmly. "On your word of honour?" "On my word of honour." "You saw nobody near the laboratory when you were there?" "No, Miss St. Leger," Kitty replied, and a kind of sigh rustled round the listening ranks. The Principal turned to Duane. "The key did not pass out of your charge except when Kitty had it?" "No, Miss St. Leger." "Where were you after dinner when the rest of the girls had gone to afternoon lessons?" "In my study, resting. I stayed until it was time to return to the laboratory." "And during that time you did not go to the laboratory yourself?" "No, Miss St. Leger." "That will do, thank you. You may go to your places." "Begorrah!" murmured Paddy under her breath to the next girl, "didn't she look right through them! I wonder they didn't sink through the floor." The Principal had turned to the girls and was addressing the school again. "If any girl here thinks she can throw any light on this affair, can tell us anything that we do not at present know, will she please come forward now." There was silence. The girls looked from one to another, but no one spoke or moved out of her place. "Someone in this room this evening is the culprit," continued the Principal, in her most impressive tones. "I will make my appeal to that girl, whoever she is. If she is sorry for an impulsive, unconsidered act, the finest way to show her repentance, and the way that calls for most moral courage, would be to come forward now in front of the whole school and confess her guilty intentions." Again the Principal paused and swept the rows of upturned faces with earnest gaze. Many paled and looked uncomfortable and apprehensive, but no one stirred or spoke and the silence became so intense that one could have heard a pin drop. Then the Principal turned with a brisk movement and the tension relaxed. "I will not keep you any longer to-night, girls. I shall let the matter rest for a few days, so that the culprit may have a second chance. If she has not the courage to come forward and confess in front of the school, it is my earnest hope that she will come to me in private, remembering what I said a minute ago. In the meantime I will ask you all to behave quietly and sensibly and not start jumping to any rash or foolish conclusions." The assembly then broke up, the girls returning to their own houses. The Principal and the mistresses lingered behind on the dais for a few minutes.