faint cries, some laughter, and the members of the class were themselves
again. The balance had been restored.

"She will be all right presently," said Miss Greene, quietly, as she
helped place Amy on a couch in her own private room. "Close some of the
windows, girls, the rain is coming in."

Her firm and cheering words, and her calm manner, aided in the work of
restoration that had begun when the nerve-tension was lessened. The girls
were themselves again, most of them going quietly to their seats, while
Betty and Grace helped Miss Greene restore Amy to consciousness. They
had loosed her collar, and some ammonia had been procured from the
physics laboratory by Frank, who also brought water.

"I can't imagine what made her faint," whispered Grace. "She never did
such a thing before."

"Probably it was the storm," said the teacher. "I have often noticed that
just before a severe electrical disturbance I felt 'like flying to
pieces,' to put it crudely. Then when the rain came I would get calm
again. I remarked that Amy did not seem quite herself while reciting, and
perhaps I should have excused her, but I hoped, by letting her fix her
attention on the lesson, that the little spell might pass over."

"It was that horrid Alice Jallow giggling at her!" declared Mollie, who
had come softly into the room. "I could--" she clenched her hands, and
her dark eyes gleamed.

"Mollie," said Betty softly, and the threatened fit of anger passed over.