Part 35 (1/2)

She heard voices raised in altercation within, and paused before knocking. Then she heard Nan's name spoken in Linda's unpleasant tones, and, quite unintentionally, she stood a moment playing eavesdropper.

”I tell you, she is a thief!” Linda was saying, in a voice that showed she was in one of her frequent rages. ”Nan Sherwood has been acting funny ever since she came to Palm Beach, and that's why I've followed her here to see what she is up to.”

”Well, I'll tell you one thing,” Cora shot back, and Bess was curiously reminded of the turning worm. ”I don't believe Nan Sherwood is any thief. I think she's a mighty nice girl. And every time I think of the mean trick you played on her, and how you nearly wrecked the school as well----”

Bess drew in a sharp breath and immediately came to her senses. She knocked loudly on the door, but the raised voices of the girls within drowned the sound.

Linda had turned on Cora in a fury.

”You take that back,” she shrilled. ”If you dare tell anybody about my wrecking that steam plant----”

But Bess, unable to contain herself another moment, tried the k.n.o.b, felt the door yield, and burst in upon the astonished girls.

”Oh!” she cried triumphantly, ”I knew I couldn't be wrong! It was you, Linda, after all!”

CHAPTER XXVIII

CAUGHT

It was lucky for Bess that Linda's father happened in at that moment, for Linda, in her rage at thus being found out, looked as though she would like to tear her enemy limb from limb.

As for Cora, she gave one horrified look at Bess, burst into tears, and fled from the room.

Mr. Riggs, who was not at all the pompous, conceited man that the girls at Lakeview Hall had come to think him, looked after Cora for a moment in surprise, then turned smilingly back to the two girls and asked Linda to introduce him to her friend.

For one electric moment it looked as though Linda were about to refuse.

Then what little common sense she had coming to her rescue, she sullenly did as she was bid and Mr. Riggs began to ask a few casual questions of Bess about how she liked Florida, if she had been there before, and other questions, which Bess answered mechanically. Her eyes were upon Linda as she stood at a window with her back to the room, her fingers beating a nervous tattoo on the windowsill.

At last Bess managed to break away and was starting toward the door when she was surprised to find that Linda was following her.

The girl stopped her at the door, and Bess thought she had never seen any one as subdued and beaten as Linda looked at that moment.

”Please, Bess,” she begged, lowering her voice so that her father would not hear, ”don't tell on me! No one at Lakeview Hall knows that I--I did that. And no one will unless you tell them. Please, Bess!”

”N-no, I won't tell,” said Bess hesitantly. ”If was a horrible thing for you to do, Linda, and Dr. Beulah ought to know. But I--I'm not a tattle-tale.”

Then she fled down the hall, down the stairs, and into her room again.

She told the story to the girls and Walter that night, and they listened in amazement.

”Well!” said Grace. ”And to think that Cora would be the one to give Linda away.”

”I don't know about promising not to tell Doctor Beulah,” said Nan thoughtfully. ”It seems to me she ought to know----”

”Well, you tell her then,” suggested Rhoda.

”Oh, I couldn't!” Nan flashed back indignantly, and Rhoda laughed at her.