Cora sat pale and motionless. Patricia's
place was vacant. No sooner had grace been said than Cora rose.
"May I speak, Mrs. Livingston?"
"Yes, my dear."
"Girls," began Cora. "I have a confession to make. I have been a
despicable creature." Her voice faltered. For a few seconds she threatened
to break down entirely, "I have proven myself unfit to associate with good
girls like yourselves. I might never have known what a miserable
contemptible girl I was had it not been for one girl who by her beautiful
spirit of forgiveness showed me to myself in my true light. It was I who
hazed Miss Burrell and Miss Thompson, or who was one of the leaders in
that hazing; it was I who spoiled the soup and tucked the soap into the
cooking kit of Miss Burrell. Then worse than all I deceived Mrs.
Livingston by going to 'The Pines' to the dance last night with Mr.
Collier and his sister One girl knew I had gone. She had every reason to
hate me as I thought I hated her. But she did not speak. Instead, she
protected me. She got herself into difficulties in trying to do so. I
might never have known what she had done for me, for she was too noble to
speak of it to me, had not Jane McCarthy come to me and told me the whole
miserable truth. It was then that I saw my real self for the first time in
my life.
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