Kitty tore off a piece of her exercise book and managed, when she thought no one would see, to write a little note to Elma. In this she said, "Don't be afraid, Elma; I have made up my mind not to tell." This note she twisted up, and, as the girls were going to the playground for recess, managed to flash an intelligent glance toward Elma. Elma approached close to her table, Kitty stretched out her hand, and Elma's fingers were just about to close over the note, when, by an unlucky chance, there came a breeze through the window, and the note, for some inconceivable reason, fluttered from Kitty's hand to the floor. In an instant Miss Worrick had seen it. She was just stepping forward when Elma like a flash caught it up and tore it into fragments. She would not for the world have the note seen. Miss Worrick, filled with anger, came up to Kitty. "You are a bad girl, the worst girl I know," she said. "You are not even honorable. Did you not give your parole that you would not hold communication with another girl in the school, and yet you have been trying to communicate with Elma Lewis by means of writing?" "Writing is not speaking," said Kitty, now standing up very erect and proud, and replying to Miss Worrick as pertly as she could. "Don't answer me, miss; you grow worse and worse. Elma Lewis, do you know anything about that note?" Kitty looked full at Elma. If she was going to be true to Elma, would Elma be equally true to her?" "I know nothing about it," said Elma promptly. Kitty's eyes filled with withering scorn; an expression of disdain curled her pretty lips. "You are quite certain, Elma? Kitty Malone seems to have a great anxiety to communicate with you. Can you throw any light on the scrape she has got into?" "I know nothing whatever about her secrets; I--I have nothing to do with them," said Elma in an agitated voice, which she endeavored in vain to render calm. Gwin Harley, who had stopped on her way out of the classroom, paused to listen to Elma's words. Kitty's face was now white as death. She did not glance at Elma; she was looking the other way. "Leave us, girls," said Miss Worrick. The next moment the great classroom was empty, with the exception of Miss Worrick and Kitty Malone. Kitty was standing upright as a dart. "Take me to Miss Sherrard; I want to speak to her," she said. "I am certainly going to take you to her. You are a very, very wicked girl. I doubt not you will be expelled." "Oh, I hope I shall," said Kitty. "I should like nothing in all the world better." "You would? You are quite incorrigible. Do you know, you wretched girl, what it means?" "No," answered Kitty; "I wait for you to tell me. What does it mean, Miss Worrick?" "That you are tainted for life, disgraced for life. Wherever you go it will be always remembered to you that your conduct was so bad at school that you were obliged to be expelled." "But that won't matter in old Ireland," said Kitty with a hollow, forced laugh.