after the decided triumph of their anglo-american tableau at the carnival, the camellia buds held up their heads against their rivals, the starry circle. there was hot competition between the two sororities, each continually trying to "go one better" than the other. if the stars held a surreptitious candy party, the buds, at the risk of detection by rachel or some other prefect, gave a dormitory stunt, throwing out hints afterwards of the fun they had enjoyed. both societies produced manuscript magazines, which were read in strict privacy at their meetings, and contained pointed allusions to their enemies' failings. no old-fashioned whigs and tories could have preserved a keener feud, the division between them waxing so serious that sometimes they could hardly sit peaceably side by side in class.

"it's all mabel," declared jess. "of course we had two sororities before she came, but we weren't at daggers drawn like this. mabel has spoiled bertha, and those two lead everything—the rest are simply sheep."

"humph! pretty black sheep i should call them," snorted peachy. "they're siding with one another[157] now to break rules. i don't mean candy parties or just fun of that kind, but sneaking things: they're cheating abominably over their exercises, and cribbing each other's translations wholesale. i found them at it yesterday and told them what i thought about them. some of them ought to know better. rosamonde and monica aren't really that sort."

"they're bear-led by bertha and mabel. i lay all the blame on them. it would be a good thing for the stars if that precious pair could be caught tripping and taught a lesson."

"i dare say it would but it's not an easy business," said peachy gloomily. "mabel hughes is an extremely slippery young person, and she generally manages to keep out of open trouble. i don't suppose any of the teachers, or even the prefects, have the least idea what she's really like."

"and we can't go sneaking and tell them, so we must try and engineer the matter for ourselves."

it was undoubtedly true that with the advent of mabel hughes a new and unpleasant element had crept into the transition. such an influence is often very subtle. girls who a term ago would not have condescended to any form of cheating, accepted a lower standard of honor, and tried to excuse themselves on the ground that they merely did the same as others. the fact that the camellia buds did not share in the dishonesty was set down to priggishness on their part, bertha and mabel often making jokes at their expense. one day an unpleasant matter hap[158]pened in the school. it was the fortnightly examination, and when the transition took their places at their desks, with sheets of foolscap and lists of questions, it was found that the inkwells of each member of the camellia buds had been stuffed up with blotting-paper, so that it was impossible for them to dip their pens.

miss bickford, who did not even know of the existence of the sororities, and therefore could not perceive the significance of the fact that certain girls were thus served while others went free, flew into a towering rage, and accused peachy, whose reputation as a practical joker was not altogether undeserved, of having played the shameless "joke." peachy, smarting with the injustice of the false charge, forgot herself and retorted hotly.

"priscilla proctor!" thundered miss bickford. "i have sometimes excused high spirits, but i never allow impertinence and insubordination. leave the room instantly and go upstairs to the sanatorium. you'll remain there until you apologize."

a dead hush fell over the class as peachy, with flaming eyes and chin in the air, flounced out and slammed the door after her. it was an extreme measure at the villa camellia to banish a girl to the sanatorium, a public disgrace generally administered only by one of the principals, and scarcely ever resorted to by a form mistress.

miss bickford, with a red spot on each cheek, glared at the row of faces in front of her.[159]

"can any one give any information about this business?" she asked, then as nobody replied she continued, "i'm disgusted with the whole set of you. i wish to say that i'm not as blind as you seem to think, and i've noticed many points about your work that are, to say the least, extremely suspicious. i tell you once and for all this must stop! i won't have cheating, practical jokes, or impertinence in this form. do you all thoroughly understand me? very well then, don't let this kind of thing ever happen again. empty those ink-pots out on to that tray, and, winnie, fetch the ink-bottle out of the cupboard and refill them. this senseless proceeding has wasted a large part of your examination time, but i shall make no excuse for it. your papers will be marked as if you had begun at nine o'clock."

with miss bickford on the war-path no one dared to say a single word, but at mid-morning interval the injured camellia buds snatched their biscuits, and fled to their grotto in the garden to hold an indignation meeting. here they talked fast and freely.

"it's a jolly shame!"

"most unfair!"

"poor old peachy!"

"who did it?"

"why, mabel, of course!"

"or bertha?"

"one or other of them!"

"miss bickford has noticed their cheating!"

"yes, and puts it off on to us all!"[160]

"i like that!"

"it's so gloriously fair, isn't it?"

"she may say she's not blind, but she's an absolute cat!"

"what's to be done about it?"

"those stars won't ever tell!"

"trust them to screen themselves!"

"oh, it's too bad!"

letting off steam, though comforting to their feelings, did not bring them any nearer to a solution of their problem. the unpleasant fact remained that the rival sorority had played an abominable trick, and that the blame at present rested upon peachy. to prove her innocence required the wisdom of solomon.

if they could have explained the whole situation to miss bickford she would at once have seen for herself that the offender must be among the ranks of the stars, but such a proceeding would mean not only an entire breach of schoolgirl etiquette, but a betrayal of their own secret society. it was not to be thought of for a moment.

"peachy'll have to climb down and apologize," decided jess.

"peachy eat humble-pie? oh, good-night!"

"well, she certainly was cheeky."

"small blame to her!"

"it was very silly of her, though, to flare out."

"she's in the fix of her life now, poor dear."

"can't we do anything to help her?"[161]

"i don't know. let's think it over and hold another meeting this afternoon."

peachy's place at the dinner-table was empty that day, and her meal was sent up to the sanatorium upon a tray. miss bickford had told her side of the story to miss rodgers, who agreed that discipline must be maintained, and ordered the detention of the prisoner until she showed symptoms of repentance. meanwhile peachy, still in an utterly rebellious frame of mind, stayed upstairs, determined not to give way. it was dull, undoubtedly, to be banished to solitary confinement, for there was not even a book in the room to amuse her. her own thoughts were her sole occupation. she had a very fertile brain, however, and suddenly a most brilliant suggestion occurred to her. the sanatorium was on the top story of the villa camellia, and by peeping from its window she could command a view of the iron balcony that fronted the rooms below. she calculated that she was probably exactly above dormitory 10, occupied by joan, esther, mary, and agnes, and that these chums would later on be engaged there at their preparation. with a little ingenuity it should be possible to communicate with them. she unfortunately had neither pencil nor paper with her, so could not write a note, but she took off her brooch and fastened it to the end of a long piece of string, which by extra good luck happened to be in her pocket. when she judged that the right moment had arrived she lowered her signal[162] so that it would tap on the balcony. there was, of course, a certain amount of risk about the venture, for she might have miscalculated, and be dropping her token into the midst of enemies instead of friends. greatly to her relief, however, agnes appeared through the french window, and, after examining the brooch with apparent surprise, glanced upwards and saw peachy's face. she gave a comprehensive smile, put her fingers on her lips for silence, bolted into her dormitory, and returned with a package of chocolate which she tied firmly to the end of the string, then waved her hand and darted back to her preparation.

peachy drew up her present, chuckling with delight. she felt almost like a captive of the middle ages, and was beginning to plan a romantic escape down an improvised rope ladder, when it occurred to her that she would scarcely know what to do with her liberty if she regained it.

"botheration!" she mused. "unless i square things up i can't walk in to tea, and i can't haunt the garden like a wandering ghost, and i've no money to pay my passage on the steamer, so i can't go home to naples. nothing for it but to stay here, i suppose, and see who gets tired out first."

when the camellia buds were able to meet together again at a secret conclave in the garden, agnes announced the important fact of having established communication with the prisoner. after an ani[163]mated discussion they decided to write her a round-robin letter and set forth their idea of the situation. each composed a sentence in turn, and lorna acted as scribe. it ran thus:

the grotto.

to our noble friend and camellia bud—

greeting!

the sorority desires to express a vote of sympathy for the very unpleasant occurrence that happened this morning.

a. dalton.

those stars are the meanest things on earth and want spifflicating.

j. lucas.

we admire you for the magnificent stand you are making, but we don't see how you are going to keep it up.

m. fergusson.

it's frightfully slow without you.

i. beverley.

we think you'll have to cave in and apologize.

s. yonge.

[164]

but, of course, not own up to something you never did.

j. cameron.

we'll get even with those stars to make up for this.

l. carson.

don't stick in the sanatorium all night.

e. cartmell.

it's no use getting too mad, old sport! come right down and talk sense.

d. watts.

this united effusion was placed in an envelope, and carried by agnes to her dormitory, where, after scouts in the garden had assured her that the coast was clear, she ventured on to the veranda, and gave a cooee which brought peachy to the window above. the latter let down her string and drew up the letter, which she pondered upon in private. she was wise enough to accept the good advice, and when miss bickford appeared later on she tendered her apologies. the teacher had possibly repented of her hasty accusation, for she did not refer to the matter of the inkwells, but merely required satisfaction for "insubordination." that being given peachy was once more free, though she could hardly consider herself restored to full favor.[165]

"i used to like miss bickford," she grumped, "but i really don't think she's been fair over this. why couldn't she ask each girl separately what she knew about it?"

"much good that would have done. bertha and mabel wouldn't have told the truth, and things would only have been in a worse muddle. we'll catch those two sometime if we can only think of how to do it."

"ah! that's just the question."

even the stars had been rather alarmed by miss bickford's firm attitude, and for the present they did not dare to cheat openly or to play any more tricks upon the form. stopped in this direction their ringleaders turned their attention to other matters. what was the nature of these it was irene's lot one day to discover. she happened to be walking in a rather quiet part of the garden, a portion reserved mostly for vegetables, which adjoined the great wall that separated the estate from the highroad. as she sauntered along, doing nothing in particular, she noticed mabel, who was standing under an orange tree close to the wall. at the same moment, advancing towards them came the sound of rachel's voice caroling an old english song. now there is nothing in the least wrong or unorthodox in standing under an orange tree, yet the instant irene glimpsed mabel's face she was certain her schoolmate was in that particular spot for some reason the reverse of good. she looked uneasily at irene,[166] glanced in rachel's direction, seemed to hesitate, and finally took to her heels and bolted away through the bushes. next minute, over the top of the high wall descended a little parcel. it caught in the branches of the orange tree, fell to the ground, and rolled under a clump of cabbages. irene took no notice, and sauntered on in the direction of rachel, but when the prefect had passed out of sight she returned, groped among the vegetables, found the parcel, and slipped it into her packet.

"miss mabel hughes, i believe i've caught you tripping this time," she chuckled. "i must send out the fiery cross and call an immediate meeting of the camellia buds."

among the secret practices of the sorority was a private signal only to be used in times of urgent necessity. it had been suggested by jess cameron, who took the idea from the lady of the lake, in which poem a gathering of the clan is proclaimed by a runner bearing a cross of wood charred in the fire. two burnt matches fastened together with thread served the camellia buds for their token, and it was the strictest rite of their order that any one receiving this cryptic symbol must immediately leave whatever she happened to be doing and proceed post-haste to the rendezvous.

so promptly did the members of the society respond to the summons that within ten minutes of the issue of the fiery cross they were assembled in the summer-house in a state of much expectancy. irene[167] explained how a parcel had been thrown over the wall, evidently for mabel, who undoubtedly had been standing waiting for it. it was not addressed to mabel, however, and as it bore no direction at all on the outside the camellia buds considered themselves justified in opening it. it contained a package of cheap chocolate, and a letter written in a foreign hand in rather bad english.

beautiful signorina,

make me the compliment to accept of me this few chocolate. i like the letter you gave to me on sunday. i will again present myself near to the hotel to wait upon you as you pass. accept i pray you the assurance of my profoundest respects.

emanuele sutoni.

"who is emanuele sutoni?" gasped delia. "and what's he got to do with us?"

"nothing to do with us," frowned jess. "but i'm afraid mabel has been trying to get up some silly love affair. if miss morley or miss rodgers found this out she'd be expelled."

"what are we going to do about it? tell rachel?"

"i don't think so," pondered jess. "you see, of course, we're perfectly certain among ourselves that the letter was meant for mabel, but it isn't addressed to her so there's no real evidence. not enough to convince rachel. it would be better[168] really to tell her we've found out and that she's got to stop it."

"i know! let's tar and feather her!" squealed peachy excitedly. "that's the best way to frighten her. of course, i don't mean real tar, but soap does just as well. she thoroughly deserves it. i vote we do it to-night. we'll hold an inquisition in her dormitory. it will be easy enough to square elsie."

peachy's grim idea appealed to the camellia buds. they considered it was time that a public demonstration was made against mabel, whose general behavior was very unworthy of the traditions of the villa camellia. they decided to have their tribunal immediately after the lights were turned out, while the prefects, who sat up later than the transition, were still downstairs, and the mistresses were having cocoa in miss rodgers' study. the affair was to be a surprise for mabel, but as elsie also slept in the same dormitory it was necessary to secure her coöperation, in case she might give the alarm and summon a prefect. elsie, however, proved an easily won ally.

"i can't bear mabel," she assured irene. "you may do anything you like to her as far as i'm concerned. i shall pretend to be asleep. monica and rosamonde and winnie can't stand her either. i don't mind telling you that we're going to resign from the starry circle and found a new sorority of our own. it isn't good enough to be mixed up with such girls as mabel and bertha."[169]

"i'm glad you've found them out," said irene. "it was high time somebody made a protest."

the four occupants of dormitory 3 went to bed as usual that night, but as soon as the lights were out lorna and irene put on their dressing-gowns and stockings, and slipped into the bathroom. here they hastily completed the details of their costumes in company with the rest of the camellia buds, who had rallied for the occasion. three minutes afterwards a strange procession entered dormitory 3. ten dressing-gowned figures, each wearing a black mask and holding a piece of lighted candle in her hand, startled the astonished eyes of mabel hughes, who sat up in bed to stare at them.

"what's all this about?" she asked.

"we've come here to hold an inquisition on your conduct," replied a solemn voice from behind one of the black masks. "will you kindly get out of bed and seat yourself upon this chair. we should be sorry to use force, but i warn you you'll have to obey us."

looking a little scared mabel apparently thought discretion the better part of valor. she rose, put on her dressing-gown, and took the seat indicated. her inquisitors grouped themselves opposite, placing their candles in a row upon the mantelpiece. their spokeswoman, unfolding a large sheet of paper, proceeded to read the indictment.[170]

this is to tell all whom it may concern that mabel hughes, having broken every rule of decent and orderly behavior, and being no longer worthy of the name of gentlewoman, is here arraigned on the following charges:

1. that she habitually takes advantage of and ill-treats the juniors when opportunity occurs.

2. that she cheats abominably at her work.

3. that she endeavors to persuade others to cheat.

4. that she degrades the name of the villa camellia by receiving letters which are thrown to her over the wall, and by handing answers to them on her way to church.

mabel, who had smiled scornfully at the first three charges, changed color at the fourth.

"what do you know about letters?" she challenged sharply.

"we know all," ventured the solemn voice. "you had better confess at once, or the affair with emanuele will be exposed to the prefects."

"it's my own business," said mabel sulkily.

"no, it isn't. it's ours as well, and the whole school's. we don't want the villa camellia to be[171] disgraced in the eyes of the town. you ought to be ashamed of yourself. it's so vulgar. now, will you promise to give up all your bad habits and behave like a lady."

"i'll promise nothing," snapped mabel.

"then we shall be obliged to tar and feather you."

mabel laughed, imagining it was an empty threat, but she was rapidly undeceived. two inquisitors, seizing her by the arms, held her tightly in her chair, while several others smeared soap over her face and stuck on feathers which they took out of a cushion. she would have screamed, but every time she opened her mouth to do so she received a dab of soap upon her tongue. when they considered her countenance was sufficiently ornamented, they presented her with a looking-glass to view the effect.

"that's how we feel about it," the spokeswoman assured her. "this is just to show you we won't stand your horrid ways. will you promise now to behave yourself, or do you want any more?"

apparently mabel had had enough. she seemed rather frightened. she grumbled that she would agree to what they wished.

"just jolly well take care that you keep your promise then," warned her inquisitor. "if you begin any of your old tricks again we have evidence against you, and we shall take it straight to rachel. if i know anything of rachel she'll go to miss rodgers, and that means you're expelled. so now you know![172] you'd better be careful, mabel hughes. that's all we came to say. you may wash your face if you like before you get into bed again."

the ten members of the inquisition, knowing that time was passing, and that the prefects would soon be coming upstairs, judged it wise to break up the meeting, and taking their candles beat a stately retreat to their respective dormitories. lorna and irene, returning to their cubicles, heard elsie chuckling. she had not interfered in any way with the performance, but it had evidently entertained her. she told the tale next day to her friends, with the result that ruth, rosamonde, winnie, monica, and callie joined her in seceding from the starry circle, leaving mabel and bertha as sole remaining representatives of that sorority.

"we're fed up with you," winnie assured the pair when they remonstrated. "we're tired of your sneaking ways, and you may just keep them to yourselves. we're not going to let you copy our exercises any more. and if we see you taking those kids' biscuits again there'll be squalls. no, we shan't tell you the name of our new sorority. we're not going to have anything to do with you ever again. so there!"

public opinion had for once triumphed on the right side, and mabel and bertha, greatly discomfited, found their influence over the late stars was at an end. the threat of telling rachel had frightened mabel; she was uncertain how much the cam[173]ellia buds really knew, and judged it discreet to drop her clandestine correspondence. she had no wish for the matter to meet the ears of miss rodgers, who, she was well aware, would take the most serious view of it. though she cherished a grudge against her late inquisitors, she submitted to their demands, and for the time at any rate gave no outward cause for complaint.