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Page 64
Seeing her distress, Grace went on quickly:
"The janitress found your scarab pin just outside the door on the day of
the game. Anne has it here for you."
Anne fumbled in her purse and drew out the pin.
"But how did you get it?" asked Miriam faintly, as she took the pin with
evident reluctance.
"Miss Thompson gave it to me," Anne answered.
Miriam looked frightened. "Then she knows----"
"Nothing," said Grace softly. "As soon as Anne heard that Miss Thompson
had your pin and knew where it had been found, she went right to the
office and asked Miss Thompson to give it to her. Miss Thompson thought
from the first that I had been the victim of a trick. Anne knew that the
finding of your pin would make her suspect you. She had already sent for
you when Anne reached the office. Luckily you weren't in school. Anne
asked permission to return the pin to you. She wouldn't give any reason
for asking. Finally Miss Thompson handed it to her, and told Anne she was
sure she would do what was right."
"You owe a great deal to Anne, Miriam," Grace continued, "for if she had
not gone to Miss Thompson I am afraid you would have been suspended from
school. Miss Thompson would have had very little mercy upon you, for she
knew about those examination papers last June."
Miriam looked so utterly miserable and ashamed at Grace's words, that Anne
hastened to say:
"I would have given you your pin at once, Miriam, but you were away from
school. Then David told me how unhappy you seemed. I hadn't said a word
to any one about the pin until I told Grace. We decided to come and see
you, and say that we were willing to 'let bygones be bygones' if you were.
We thought it was right to let you know that we knew everything. There is
only one other person who knows. That person is your brother."
"He knew I locked you up the day of the game," faltered Miriam, "The way
he looked at me has haunted me ever since. He thinks me the most
dishonorable girl in the world." She began to cry again.
Anne and Grace walked along silently beside the weeping girl. They thought
it better to let her have her cry out. She really deserved to spend a
brief season in the Valley of Humiliation.
They had now left the fields and were turning into one of the smaller
streets of Oakdale.
"Miriam," said Grace, "try and brace up. We'll soon be on Main Street and
you don't want people to see you cry, do you? Here," extracting a little
book of rice powder paper from her bag, "rub this over your face and the
marks of your tears won't show."
Miriam took the paper gratefully, and did as Grace bade her. Then she
straightened up and gave a long sigh, "I feel like that man in Pilgrim's
Progress, after he dropped his burden from his back," she said. "The mean
things I did never bothered me until just lately. After I saw that my own
brother had nothing but contempt for me, I began to realize what a wretch
I was, and the remorse has been just awful."
It was David, after all, who had been instrumental in holding up the
mirror so that his stubborn sister could see herself as others saw her.
Although she had quarreled frequently with him, she had secretly respected
his high standard of honor and fine principles. The fear that he despised
her utterly had brought her face to face with herself at last.
"Anne has always wanted to be friends with you, Miriam," Grace said
earnestly as they neared the Nesbit home. You and I used to play together
when we were little girls in the grammar school. It's only since we
started High School that this quarreling has begun. Let's put it all aside
and swear to be friends, tried and true, from now on? You can be a great
power for good if you choose. We all ought to try to set up a high
standard, for the sake of those who come after. Then Oakdale will have
good reason to be proud of her High School girls.
They had reached the gate.
Miriam turned and stretched out a hand to each girl. There was a new
light in her eyes. "My dear, dear friends," she said softly.
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