"Somebody was in here!" exclaimed Bet.
"Don't be silly, Bet! I thought you were too big to be frightened in the dark."
"Well look at that window, Kit Patten! Did we leave it open? We certainly didn't. And look how the costumes are all tumbled out of the chests! A man has been in here, anyway. I saw him slide out that window."
"And look at the footprints!" exclaimed Kit.
"Nothing to worry about. This is a costume party and someone is playing a trick on us," decided Kit.
"Maybe so," assented Bet. "But if so, why didn't they play their tricks instead of just mussing things up and then running away?"
Grabbing a gown of gold cloth, Bet exclaimed, "Come on, girls, let's get out of here. It's spooky!"
"Lock the window first, Bet. Then if anyone is prowling around they can't get back this way," Kit suggested.
"Who could it have been?" puzzled Bob Evans when they reported the episode to the guests. "I know all the boys, and none of them would do a thing like that."
Phil and Bob rushed out to the veranda but saw no one on the grounds. Uncle Nat's sharp eyes soon picked up the footprints in the snow and followed them to the road where they were lost. On his return, he let Smiley Jim out of the basement, and the dog ran around the house, quite excited, with so many people around.