Nancy made a pleading gesture to stop her newly-made friend. Madame held up her hand, too.
“I believe what Nancy Nelson says, Miss Bruce,” she observed, gravely. “You shall not be punished.”
“I don’t care for that!” cried the impulsive Jennie. “But Nancy ought not to be punished, either.”
“Will you let me be the judge of that, Jennie?” asked the Madame, softly.
“Nancy is out of her room out of hours. That is a fault—a serious fault. You both know that?”
“Yes, Madame,” said the stiff-lipped Nancy, while Jennie began to sob.
“I notice that Jennie’s roommate is not here. When she returns, Nancy, you may go back to your own room. And I shall deal out the same sort of punishment to Sally that I do to you, Nancy.
“And that is,” pursued Madame Schakael, slowly, “that you will be denied recreation, save that which is a part of the school curriculum, until the Christmas recess.”
Nancy said nothing. But she fully understood what it meant. No outdoor runs alone, no skating, nothing save the exercises prescribed by the physical instructor.