Ruth's little face, however, remained perfectly white and still; only
her eyes were dark with emotion. She kept thinking of her father.
"I should like that which would make me give _my life_ if necessary," he
had said; and her grandfather had said, "Sometimes when you come out on
the right side of the ledger it means giving _all_ that you possess."
Ruth could scarcely see the faces which rose up like a great ocean
beneath her, but she remembered her father's words very distinctly.
"You all see Ruth Craven," continued Miss Mackenzie. "As far as I know,
she is a good girl; and I judge by your method of answering my question
that she is a popular girl. I know, alas! that she is poor. I have heard
a great deal about her intellectual endowments, and believe that this
school could be of immense advantage to her. I believe, in short, that
she is the typical sort of girl of whom the founders thought when they
instituted this great and noble house of learning. Nevertheless, Ruth
Craven must fall if necessary for the good of the many.--Ruth, I wish to
ask you a certain question. You were a member of that rebellious
society, the Wild Irish Girls?"
"Yes, Miss Mackenzie."
Ruth's "Yes" was very clear; her face looked modest but firm. There was
not the slightest hesitation in the words she uttered. Her speech was
not loud, but it could be heard to the end of the great hall.
"You are no longer a member?"
"No.
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