"And small wonder," said Alice. "Kitty, what is to be done? Before you came here I thought myself a respectable girl--all we Middleton girls did; and now for such a fearful thing to happen. Why, it will be all over the place in the morning. They will talk of it everywhere. Oh, Kitty, you have disgraced me for ever." Here Alice burst into tears. "Good gracious!" cried Kitty, "what are you crying about? I did nothing; it was the rude men, or boys, or whatever you like to call them, who were to blame." "You did nothing, going out in that dress?" cried Alice--"that red blouse, and your arms bare, and with Fred's college cap on your head. I should not be a bit surprised if Fred were expelled; he will certainly get into an awful scrape. Oh dear! oh dear!" "I cannot imagine what you are talking and crying about," said Kitty. "But there; I have got a headache, and am going to bed. I suppose there is no chance of my--Oh, poor Laurie! What a wicked girl Elma Lewis is!" Kitty rushed up to her room. Not that she was frightened--that was not her way; but she saw that disagreeable things might be pending. In the meantime her most anxious thoughts were for Laurie. What would happen if she could not send him the money by an early post? CHAPTER XIII. COVENTRY. Early the next morning Mrs. Denvers was a good deal surprised by receiving a letter from Miss Sherrard. It ran as follows: "DEAR MRS. DENVERS: I have just heard an extraordinary story from Miss Worrick with regard to Kitty Malone. She met Kitty with your Fred at a late hour last night just outside the 'Spotted Leopard.' She was not wearing an outdoor jacket, and had the college cap on her head. In consequence, she was spoken to impertinently by some men outside the public-house, and when Miss Worrick came up had just knocked one of them down. Miss Worrick says, further, that Kitty showed her great impertinence; and, in short, that the whole affair was wrong and disgraceful. It is my painful duty to look thoroughly into this matter, and I should be glad if you would bring Miss Malone to Middleton School this morning in order that I may do so. "Yours very truly, "EMMA SHERRARD." "My dear Alice," said Mrs. Denvers, as her daughter entered the room, "what does this letter mean?" Alice read Miss Sherrard's letter hastily. "It is exactly as I feared, mother," she said. "Exactly as you feared, Alice! What do you mean?" "I always told you that Kitty would be certain to get into trouble sooner or later. Well, she got into trouble last night." "But what occurred?"