disposition. Run along now."

"I thought I'd better not tell them," Madeline confided to the genius of
her room, when the sophomores were safely out of earshot, "that I haven't
the faintest notion what to do with those freshmen after we get them
there. Being experienced, I know that something will turn up; but they,
being only sophomores, might worry. Now what the mischief"--Madeline
pulled out drawer after drawer of her chiffonier--"can I have done with
those masks?"

The masks turned up, after the Belden House "Merry Hearts" had searched
wildly through all their possessions for them, over at the Westcott in
Babbie Hildreth's chafing dish, where she had piled them neatly for
safe-keeping the June before.

"Madeline said for you each to bring a sheet," explained Helen Adams,
who had been deputed to summon the B's and Katherine. "They're to dress
up in, I guess. She said we couldn't lend you the other ones of ours,
because they might get dirty trailing around the floors, and we must
have at least one apiece left for our beds."

The B's joined rapturously in the preparations for Madeline's mysterious
party. Katherine could not be found, and Rachel and Eleanor were both
engaged for the evening; but that was no matter, Madeline said. It ought
to be mostly a Belden House affair, but a few outsiders would help
mystify the freshmen.

Promptly at quarter to nine Polly, Lucile, and the rest of the Belden
House contingent arrived, each bringing her sheet with her, and
presently Madeline's room swarmed with hooded, ghostly figures.

"Is that you, Polly?" whispered Lucile to somebody standing near her.

"No, it's not," squeaked the figure, from behind its little black mask.

"Why, we shan't even know each other, after we get mixed up a little,"
giggled somebody else, as the procession lined up for a hasty dash
through the halls.

"Now, don't forget that you've all got to help think up things for them
to do," warned Madeline, "especially you sophomores."

"And don't forget to remember the things for grinds," added Polly
Eastman lucidly. "That's what the party is for."

"If the freshmen find out that you had to get us to help you, you'll
never hear the last of it," jeered Babe.

"Now Babe, we're their natural allies," protested Babbie. "Of course we
always help them."

"Sh!" called a scout, sticking her head into the room. "Coast's clear.
Make a rush for it."

The last ghost had just gotten safely into the room, when