"I think Alma's alone now. Have you seen her?" said Charlotte. "The poor little creature has been awfully unhappy about the scolding Miss Leland gave her—Mildred wasn't at all cast down and goes around looking as if she had done something very smart. The very fact that Alma is feeling so blue about it all, while Mildred is perfectly unconcerned, shows the difference in the sort of stuff they are made of. And we must take care that Alma doesn't change under Mildred's influence so that she, too, will think it very smart to get into silly scrapes just for the fun of getting out of them."
Nancy sprang up, and without a word left the room.
There was no light in her sister's room, but in the gray twilight that shone in forlornly she made out a pathetic little heap on the bed. She felt a lump of pity and motherly tenderness rise in her throat; not a particle of blame was in her heart—only a desire to cuddle and comfort her thoughtless little sister.
"Alma," she called softly. A tousled head was lifted from the pillow, and even in the dim light she could see how Alma's rosy, childlike face was stained and swollen with tears.
"Oh, Nancy! I am so glad you're back! Oh, don't be angry with me. You aren't angry, are you?" sobbed Alma.
"Angry!" echoed Nancy, laughing tremulously. "Oh, you poor little darling—don't be so unhappy about it all." She hugged Alma tightly and kissed her hot cheek, feeling the tears on it.
"Then you do know about it. It wasn't my fault, Nancy—that is, it wasn't Milly's, either. Don't think I'm trying to shift the blame. Oh, I have been so miserable."
"Why, dearest, it wasn't anything very bad—it was only foolish. Cheer up!"
"You see,—you see—Frank was there, and another boy—and they hated to go back to Cambridge—and it all seemed perfectly harmless—and Milly said it was perfectly all right, and that Miss Leland wouldn't care a bit—and that she had often done it. I hadn't any idea—until I thought about you, and I knew you wouldn't like it. But I didn't think about that until we were coming home. But Milly just laughed."
"What did Miss Leland say to you?"