"Where I am going has nothing to do with it, whatever," she said, her voice icy. "I command you to stand away from that door."
Then it was Caroline Brant who spoke in her quiet, calm voice.
"We will be glad to do as you say, Miss Dill," she said, "if you will promise not to lock Billie Bradley up again."
"Promise—not to lock——?" gasped Miss Cora. Then she turned upon the girls with blazing eyes. "You are mad—all of you!" she said, her voice shaking with fury. "I will wire Miss Walters at once!" and she turned away down the hall, her hands so tightly clenched that her nails left little angry red marks where they had bit into the flesh.
The girls watched her go—then turned back into the dormitory with a sigh. They had won a victory, and yet they were not happy about it. Except that Billie was free, things were even worse than before.
"Now I don't know what we're going to do," said Vi, gazing drearily out of the window. The leaden sky had turned still darker and a flurry of snow had begun to fall.
The gong for classes rang out through the hall and the girls started and looked at each other questioningly. Several of them began to gather up their books, but Billie, who had been thinking deeply, suddenly sprang to her feet.
"Listen, girls," she said, and they looked at her questioningly. "It seems to me there's only one thing left for us to do. We can't go to classes, not after what we've just done, and we can't stay around here till Miss Walters comes. The Pickles will surely starve us to death."
She paused for a moment and they looked at her expectantly. Then she lowered her voice and spoke quickly.
"Let's go home," she said. "Or at least we can go to the hotel in town till Miss Walters gets back. What do you say?"