“I believe I hear them coming back,” Chloe said. Both girls stiffened and sat up straight.
The door to two hundred and nine opened almost noiselessly, then clicked to. Mimi and Chloe rushed to meet Betsy and Sue.
“We have it!” Sue could hardly keep from shouting. “Not a whole can, but enough.”
“Sh—sh—” Betsy cautioned again. “We nearly got caught. Oh Gosh! Mrs. Cole, of all people, was over there. She stopped right outside the floor bath door and talked to Virginia, I thought she’d never go on. Whew!”
Sigh of relief all around.
“Now for the dirty work at the crossroads.” Betsy said. “Chloe get the chafing dish. Sue, stuff towels against the bottom of the doors into the hall. Can’t have this larupin’ good smell oozing out. We’d have half of Prep Hall in here, not to mention Mrs. Cole. Mimi get to stirring, we’d better cook in the tub. The light won’t show so plain.”
The whispered instructions were carried out silently and quickly. Five minutes after the daring visit to College Hall, sugar and water and cocoa fudge was boiling away in the chafing dish which stood in the bottom of the bathtub. Mimi was stirring away, foamy brown bubbles. She mustn’t let it boil over, not waste a precious drop——
“Want a cup of water to test it?” Chloe asked.
“Shoot no,” Mimi answered. “I can tell by the way it boils when it’s done. When it begins to boil heavy and the bubbles spit little balls, it’s ready to beat. Can I wait or can I wait?”
Betsy in the meantime had greased a platter with cold cream.