"Mr. Sills, I cannot make a confession of something that I never did. I tell you I never saw that book until Miss Owens took it from my desk."
"Let me see her test paper, Miss Owens. Then you may go back and dismiss your class, but come here again."
The principal took the test paper in his hand and commenced to go through it. He did not look surprised when he came across sentences that usually proved stumbling blocks to the pupils, to find them perfectly translated by Kit. He tapped the paper as if he were saying to himself, "I told you so!"
"Have you ever studied Latin before?" he asked her just as Miss Owens returned.
"No sir, this is my first year."
"Then I do not believe that you could have turned in such a good paper without help. It has never been done before and we do not expect anyone to answer more than half of the questions. Your mistakes are so slight that the paper may be counted perfect. That seems to me evidence enough of your guilt."
Kit did not answer for a moment, but her eyes were blazing. "You accuse me of copying without real proof! How dare you!"
The principal flushed. "Don't you think the fact that you had a key book in your desk during examination period is proof enough?"
"I know it looks bad, Mr. Sills, but it isn't proof. It can't be proof because I never saw the book before."
"Yet where the name is erased, it looks strangely like your initials."