Still noiseless as mice, they drew out the precious baskets from under the beds and crept over to where Billie was waiting for them.
"Where do we go from here, girls?" said Laura in a hysterical whisper. "Goodness, but I'm scared to death."
"Keep quiet or you'll have something to be scared about," Billie directed in a fierce little whisper. "Come on—I think the road's clear."
They tiptoed to the door, and Billie opened it cautiously and peeped out. There was no one in sight, and she stepped out into the hall quickly, motioning to the girls to follow her.
Caroline, the last to leave the dormitory, stopped for a moment and looked about at the sleeping girls. Then, satisfied that they were really asleep and that none of them suspected the prank, she followed the other girls out into the hall and closed the door carefully behind her.
They found their fellow conspirators in dormitory "F" already up and stirring. The lights were lit, hampers were out on the table ready to be opened, and the real fun of the party was commencing when the five arrived.
They were greeted with subdued enthusiasm, for no one dared to speak above a whisper, and Connie demanded to know why Billie was late.
"We couldn't do a thing without you," she said. "You had the program and everything——"
"And besides," finished Nellie, "we'd promised not to start anything until you came."
"We thought you'd been caught," Connie added reproachfully.