“A clear conscience is the secret, my dear,” Valerie declared with a laugh. “I’ll bet you never slept as soundly as we did.”
“And why shouldn’t I?” Janet demanded in a loud voice. “I’ve nothing on my conscience----”
“How about the time you spilt ink on the professor’s desk? And the time you rang the fire gong when there was no cause, and the time----” Carol was enumerating when Janet interrupted.
“They should keep you awake,” Madge added mischievously.
“You’ve committed just as many crimes,” Janet defended quickly.
“I’ll wager they have,” Virginia said with a sympathetic arm about Janet’s shoulders. “Well, Tom?” she said to her brother who was approaching from the horses. “All set to go?”
“As soon as we take down the other tent,” he agreed. “How’re you, girls?” the last was to Gale and Valerie.
“Fine as a fiddle!” Valerie declared.
Indeed she appeared to be. Gale had at first watched her friend with some trepidation, remembering the strenuous events of last night. Before, Valerie had always been worn out, utterly exhausted after any excitement or nerve strain. Now she was as calm and steady as any of them. It was borne home to them all that Valerie had surely won her long fight for health.
Val herself was the happiest as it was natural that she should be. She, too, had been anxious as to the results of last night’s adventure. This morning when she and Gale had gone to bed, tired as she had been, she had feared an undoing of all the good work these weeks in the sun and air had done. But now, to her own amazement as well as to the surprise of her friends, she felt more fit, more cheerful than she had done for many months. It was a continual joy to her to be able to ride and compete equally with her friends, to know that she was as capable of meeting an emergency as any of them.