"Oh, Laura!" murmured Jess. "Now you have done it! She's going to blow up!" "And she'll leave us flat on the play business," groaned Bobby. Hester came across the reception room to Laura with flashing eyes and her face mottled with rage. "What is that you say, Laura Belding?" she demanded. "I will repeat it," said Laura firmly. "The whole trouble is on your conscience. You deliberately led Miss Carrington astray." "Oh! I did, did I?" "You most certainly did. Miss Carrington was both cruel to Dora and Dorothy and unfair. But you knew her failing, and you led her to believe that Dorothy was answering the question she put to Dora. No wonder Miss Carrington was angered." "Is that so?" sneered Hester. "And who are you, to tell me when I'm wrong?" "Somebody has to tell you, Hester," said Jess sweetly, for she was bound to take up cudgels for her chum. "And you can mind your business, too, Jess Morse!" snarled Hester. "Dear, dear!" Nellie begged. "Let us not quarrel." Yet for once Mother Wit seemed determined upon making trouble. Usually acting as peacemaker, the girls around her were amazed to hear her say: "You are quite in the wrong, Hester. And you know it. You should beg Miss Carrington's pardon; and you should ask pardon of all of us, as well as of Dora and Dorothy, for disgracing the class." "What do you mean?" screamed Hester Grimes. "Do you suppose I would tell old Gee Gee that it was my fault?" "You deliberately prevaricated--to her and to us," said Laura calmly. "Call me a story-teller, do you?" cried the butcher's daughter. "How dare you! I'll get even with you, Laura Belding!" "It is the truth," Laura said, slowly and firmly. "I'll fix you for this, Laura Belding!" pursued Hester, trembling with rage. She turned to sweep them all with her angry glance. "I'll fix you all! I won't have anything to do with any of you out of school--so there! And I won't act in your hateful old play!" She ran out of the room as she said this and left the girls--at least, most of them--in a state of blank despair. The bell rang for the next session before anybody could speak. Laura seemed quite calm and unruffled. The others got through their recitations as best they could until lunch hour. Jess and Bobby caught up with Laura on the street when the latter went out for her customary walk. "Oh, Laura! What shall we do?" almost wept Jess. "Only two days! Nobody can learn that part--not even as good as Hester knew it--before Friday night." At that moment Chet Belding appeared from around the corner. He was red and almost breathless--in a high state of excitement, and no mistake. "What do you think, girls?" he cried, "We got a line on Purt Sweet's automobile and why he has been hiding about where it was that Saturday night the man from Alaska was hurt." "What is it? Tell us?" asked Laura. "I met Dan Smith. He goes to the East High, you know, and he lives across the street from the Grimes' place. You know?" "Hester Grimes?" cried Jess.