lside, doesn't it?"

"The girls will wake up and view our tracks with wonder in the morning,"
said Ruth, with a smile. "Perhaps they'll think that some curious
monsters have visited Ardmore."

"That would cause more wonderment than the case of Rebecca Frayne. What
do you suppose is finally going to happen to that foolish girl?"

"I really cannot guess," Ruth returned, shaking her head sadly. "Poor
thing!"

"Why! she can't be _poor_," gasped Helen. "Look at all those trunks she
brought with her to Ardmore. And her dresses are tremendously
fancy--although we've not seen many of them yet."

Ruth stared at her chum for a moment without replying. It was right
there and then that she came near to guessing the secret of Rebecca
Frayne's trouble. But she forbore to say anything about it at the time,
and went on beside her chum toward the white island, much disturbed in
her mind.

Now and then they caught sight of the dancing flames of the campfire.
But when they were nearer the island, the hill was so steep that they
lost sight completely of the light.

"Suppose it's a _man_?" breathed Helen, suddenly, as they began to climb
the shore of Bliss Island.

"He won't eat us," returned Ruth.

"No. They don't often. Only cannibals, and they are not prevalent in
this locality," giggled Helen. "But if it _is_ a man----"

"Then we'll turn around and go back," said Ruth, coolly. "I haven't come
out here to get acquainted with any male person."

"Bluie! Suppose he's a real nice boy?"

"There's no such an animal," laughed Ruth. "That is, not around here at
the present moment."

"Oh yes. I see," Helen rejoined drily. "The nearest _nice_ one is at the
Seven Oaks Military Academy."

"So you say," Ruth said demurely. "But if it were Tom?"

"Dear old Tom and some of his chums!" cried Helen. "Wouldn't it be
great? This Adamless Eden is rather palling on me, Chum. The other girls
have visitors, but our friends are too far away."

"Hush!" advised Ruth. "Whoever it is up there will hear you."

Helen was evidently not at all enamored of this adventure. She lagged
behind a little. Yet she would not allow Ruth to go on alone to
interview the mysterious camper.

"I tell you what," the black-eyed girl said, after a moment and in a
whisper. "I believe that fire is up near the big boulder we looked
at--you remember? The Stone Face, do they call it?"

"Quite possibly," Ruth rejoined briskly. "Come on if you're coming. I'm
sure the S