"Oh, what a horrible thing!" Lilian cried. Then she faced Mrs. Dane. "Oh, you are mistaken, as God hears me, I was not in that house nor on that side of the street," and she almost gasped for breath. "You may go to your room. You will be excused from study hour tonight. We must consider. I am glad it is so near closing time." Lilian felt like one dazed. Yet she was passionately indignant when she had reached her room. There might be other blue Tams in the town but she did not remember to have seen many in light blue except Miss Arnold's. Somehow, Mrs. Dane had never taken to her cordially like Miss Arran and the teachers. Mrs. Barrington was much distressed. She had become warmly interested in Lilian. She had smiled a little over Mrs. Dane's strictures. "There's something about her, a sort of loftiness that doesn't belong to her life, though she takes things with outward calmness, but I have a feeling that some day she will break out in an awful tempest, and I doubt her being that woman's daughter. Mrs. Boyd never talks frankly about her," Mrs. Dane said, severely. "But she is devoted to the poor mother." "Well, it seems so," rather reluctantly. After dinner Mrs. Barrington summoned Miss Arran and laid the matter before her. She listened with a kind of terrified interest. "I can't believe Miss Boyd would tell such a dreadful falsehood, when she saw the necessity of the truth. Mrs. Dane has very strong prejudices. That Nevins girl is about her size and has a long braid of fair hair." "Oh, she was in disgrace in her room, but what a horrible thing that it should have gone on without even a physician, or any care to prevent the spread of contagion. Well--I suppose tomorrow it will be all over town. I gave Matthew strict orders to say nothing about it tonight." Presently Mrs. Barrington knocked at Mrs. Boyd's door. Lilian opened it. She had been crying. Now she stretched out her hands imploringly. "Oh, Mrs. Barrington you cannot believe I would tell you such a cruel, willful falsehood! I was not even very near that house. After all your kindness to me--" "There, dear, I believe _you_. I know there has been some mistake. Mrs. Dane has always been so anxious, one might say jealous for my welfare, and you see this would mean a great deal to me. You must pardon her until the truth comes out." "Oh, thank you a thousand times," cried Lilian in broken tones, her eyes suffused with tears. "You need not come down to the study this evening. How is your mother?" "She is having a lovely sleep." "Do not say anything to her, and the girls will be going away before there is any real fright. I do not anticipate any danger with us. Be comforted. We shall hear all tomorrow." Lilian was almost happy. She had not lost her dear friend. Under any other circumstances Lilian would have given Mrs. Barrington an unreasoning adoration. She could not define it to herself. She liked Miss Arran, but this was beyond a mere kindly liking.