Slowly--one by one--the tears gathered in Blue Bonnet's eyes and rolled down her cheeks. But for the ticking of the clock above the desk, there was absolute silence in the room.
Professor Howe reached over and took Blue Bonnet's hand in her own.
"Tell me about it," she said, "everything--from the beginning."
And Blue Bonnet did tell her, omitting not a single detail.
When she had finished Professor Howe was silent for a moment.
"Did you ever think, Miss Ashe," she said presently, "what a chaotic, unpleasant place this world would be without law, and order, and discipline?"
Blue Bonnet had to confess that she had not thought much about it.
"Think _now_, for a moment. Take the case of your friend, Carita. If there had been no rule against your going to the Infirmary this morning, and Carita had come down with a contagious disease, you, by your presence there for only a moment, might have carried the contagion to a dozen others. Would you have had the right to do that, do you think, simply because of your interest in your friend?"
"And in regard to sending for your aunt. Could you not have trusted Miss North, my child? She has been operating this school successfully for many years. She has the interest of each and every pupil at heart--she knows their needs. She has perfect confidence in our physician."
"Yes, but Mary--one of the girls--said that he was awfully slow and old fashioned, and I--"
"Mary Boyd is only a silly little girl. She wouldn't know the qualifications of a good doctor if she were asked to give them. You should never rely on immature judgment. It is apt to be colored with prejudice."
"I reckon I have made a mistake, Professor Howe. I'm sorry. I was so awfully worried and upset about Carita."
"Of course you were. I can quite understand that. On the other hand, we do not expect you to love and trust us all at once. Confidence comes by degrees; but we _do_ want you to believe that your _best_ interests are considered here--always."
"One moment, Miss Ashe. Will you say to Fraulein Herrmann what you have just said to me--that you are sorry--sorry for what she deems an impertinence on your part in the study hall?"
Blue Bonnet flushed to the roots of her brown hair.
"Not sorry to have been rude, Miss Ashe?"