"Laurel is up," she declared. "She is not here!"
"Not there! Not in bed! Laurel—she has not gotten up yet," declared Belle, who with frying pan in hand had hurried from the kitchen when Cora spoke.
"She certainly is not in bed," again declared Cora. "You may see for yourselves."
"Laurel gone!" exclaimed more than one of the astonished girls.
"She may have gone out," suggested Hazel. "I thought I heard someone about very early."
Following this thought the girls looked around called, and again returned to the empty room.
"What is this?" asked Bess, seeing a piece of ribbon-tied paper floating from the night lamp.
Hazel was first to handle it. She saw that it was a note addressed to Cora.
"It's for you, Cora," she said as she snapped the fragile ribbon from its fastening.
Cora read aloud: