"It is a splendid thought," said Gwin; "much--much better than my talking to Miss Sherrard alone. Look here, Bessie; could we not manage to have a meeting of the Tug-of-war at my house this evening? Oh, there's Elma; I'll ask her at once. Elma come here." Elma who was just shouldering her books preparatory to leaving the school, turned when she heard Gwin's voice. "What is it, Gwin?" she asked; her manner was a little nervous. Gwin hastily repeated Bessie's daring suggestion. "Oh, I'll come of course," said Elma; but there was a certain amount of apathy in her tone. "And I will secure Alice; I am getting quite to dislike Alice, though," said Bessie. Gwin promised to write to the other girls at once, and it was finally arranged that a meeting should be held at Harley Grove that evening between four and five o'clock. Elma walked home alone, musing much over the aspect of affairs. "I wonder what Kitty did want with me," she said to herself. "Doubtless it had something to do with that money. Kitty was in despair, so it seems. Oh, there's Fred Denvers; perhaps he can tell me something? Hullo, Fred!" Elma stopped; Fred was on his way from college; he was whistling a gay air, and did not see Elma until he had almost reached her side. "Hullo, Elma," he answered; "how are you?" "Oh, I am very well, Fred, thank you; but have you heard about Kitty Malone?" "How everybody does cry out Kitty Malone; it will soon be sung by the birds in the air," said Fred; "Kitty Malone! Kitty Malone! What's the matter with her now?" "Oh, she has got into the most awful scrape; of course you know what occurred last night?" "Rather!" said Fred. "I was with her. I say, Elma, she is about the pluckiest girl I ever met. Didn't she hit out straight from the shoulder; and didn't that fellow go down like a ninepin! I don't believe he is able to see out of his eye to-day. Why, that little hand of hers is as hard as iron. Who taught her the art of boxing like that? She's a born fencer! She's a splendid girl. I never met any one like her." Elma did not feel so much annoyed at this praise of Kitty as Alice would have been; but all the same it was scarcely gratifying to her. After reflecting for a moment, during which Fred was preparing to continue his swinging pace toward his home, she said suddenly: "But where was she going, Fred?" Fred's big blue eyes lit up with a sudden light of intelligence. "What a fool I am!" he said. "You perhaps can throw light on this mystery. She wanted to see you, Elma. I cannot imagine what about. You know how fond she is of her brother Laurie? Well, it seems that Laurie got into some sort of scrape; and Kitty, poor girl, she was in a way about it; fretting like any thing, and she said no one could help her but you. Can you tell me what she wanted with you? She was in a rare hurry to get to your house."