About five o'clock in the morning the janitor, who slept in a room over the garage that was used for Miss Romaine's sedan and a Ford truck which carried supplies from the village to the Hall, was awakened by the put-putting of a motor boat on the lake. He saw two men set off in it, apparently leaving the Laurel Hall dock.
With the first robbery in mind and feeling uneasy, the janitor dressed quickly and made the rounds of the gymnasium and the boathouse. Here he found his suspicions justified. The gymnasium and the boathouse had both been robbed again!
The janitor went directly to Miss Romaine with his report. In some way the news leaked out before the Head of Laurel Hall intended it should. Like wildfire it spread among the excited girls.
"The lockers in the gym have been practically cleaned out!" wailed Nan.
"We should have slept with our things under our beds, that's what we should have done!" cried Sadie.
"I don't want to sleep under a bed!" Nan said crossly. "I prefer a mattress."
"I was speaking of the things, silly, not ourselves," retorted Sadie, with withering scorn.
Nan got up and walked restlessly about the room. In the course of her rambles her eye happened to light upon three tennis rackets, carefully cased and standing each in its own place against the wall.
"Anyway, we've some luck," she said, brightening. "We've managed to save our rackets out of the wreck."
"Yes, but how about my gym suit?" said Jo gloomily. "Chances are I'll not get another."