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FIDELIA

seen David. "She can't help being an enemy." That was what Myra had said; and Fidelia could not help being an enemy of Alice but she did not mean to be an enemy. Fidelia had no more planned to stay out on the floe and draw David to her than she had planned to sit in the sun on her first morning in class. She did such things because her nature made her sit in the sun and dare the starlit cold; and her nature, which made her do such things without planning or thinking, drew men away from girls who had no such nature. And this struck Alice to helplessness.

Yet, with her helplessness, she found herself amazingly without fear of Fidelia now. What a strange discovery to find her fear of Fidelia gone; for you can not fear one who no longer can hurt you; and Fidelia had taken away from Alice all that any one could. She had taken David and ended the meetings at the campus edge; ended their glances at each other, their sharing of plans, hopes, dreams; she had taken away the twenty-second of June, the wedding day! What a surprise to feel no fear of Fidelia! What did she feel?

She did not know; she knew what thought ran through her. Alice thought: "She'll have the wedding day; she'll be David's wife."

Alice drew her hands from Fidelia; the bell for class was ringing. "Come," said Alice; it was her first word; and with Fidelia, she went to class and to David.

Later, when she told Myra of meeting Fidelia, Alice said: "She didn't want to spoil my life. She didn't, My!"