"Jennie!" Katherine whispered, amazed, "what are you doing here at this unearthly hour of the night?"
"Hush! don't give me away for the world," said the girl, laying a nervous hand upon her arm. "There's something going on in yonder— it's the fun I told you about a while ago. I'm not in the plot, but I'm bound to be in at the finish, for it's going to be a hot time, I can tell you."
"Really, dear, you are better out of it altogether," Katherine gravely returned. "You know what we were talking of yesterday, about breaking rules and spoiling one's record."
"Aren't you breaking rules, too?" retorted Jennie, aggressively.
"No; I have just come from Miss Reynolds' room."
"Well, I'm going to see this through, now I've started in. I've had to pinch and pound myself for the last two hours, though, to keep awake, and I'm not going to miss the 'racket' after all that bother," declared the girl, clinging tenaciously to her purpose.
"Hark!" she added, a moment later, in a startled whisper, as a titter of irrepressible mirth was borne to their ears from somewhere beyond them.
It seemed to proceed from the landing at the head of the stairs which led to the second story, but was quickly suppressed and all was still again.
"Well," said Katharine, after listening a. moment, "I must go on to my room, and my advice to you, Jennie, is to return at once to yours. Good-night," and, leaving the willful "racket"-lover to her fate, she stole softly away.
She paused at the foot of the stairs to listen again, when the swish of garments fell on her ear, then a voice, which she immediately recognized, whispered: