him, that he had ceased to be hers, he would never again clasp her and kiss her, that he would not want to; incredible it was, indeed, that even their talks together, their confidences and friendship were finished because Fidelia Netley had come.
Alice had drilled herself for the eleven o'clock meeting with Fidelia when they both—Fidelia and she—would come to class with David. Alice had warned herself: "I mustn't hate her! I won't! I won't!" Yet this morning, during the hours between nine o'clock, when the first class with David was over, and eleven, when she would see him with Fidelia, she was weak with fear. What would she do when she saw Fidelia? Then she came upon Fidelia suddenly in the girls' study room.
"Why, Alice!" Fidelia exclaimed and seized her hands. "Why Alice!"
A fury within Alice wanted to snatch her hands away but another power submitted her to Fidelia's warm, close clasp. But while submitting, Alice searched Fidelia's eyes. She saw no triumph in them; she saw no look, such as she expected, which taunted, "I've taken him from you."
And she realized that Fidelia felt no taunt and no triumph over her. She realized that Fidelia was not feeling sorry for her, either. Fidelia had done a terrible thing to her and Fidelia knew it but was only beginning to realize it now that she saw Alice.
Alice clenched her fists within Fidelia's hands and then suddenly relaxed.
There rang in Alice's throbbing brain, words which Myra had spoken in warning before Fidelia had ever
