"Clear and cool."

She finished writing her ten pages, and being now positively certain of
her gold locket, went to bed in a happy state of mind.

This was the very night when Annie was to lead her revelers through the
dark wood, but Dora, who never troubled herself about the younger
classes, would have been certainly the last to notice the fact that a few
of the girls in Lavender House seemed little disposed to eat their
suppers of thick bread and butter and milk. She went to bed and dreamed
happy dreams about her golden locket, and had little idea that any
mischief was about to be performed.

Hester Thornton also, but in a very different spirit, was working hard at
her essay. Hester worked conscientiously; she had chosen "Marie
Antoinette" as her theme, and she read the sorrowful story of the
beautiful queen with intense interest, and tried hard to get herself into
the spirit of the times about which she must write. She had scarcely
begun her essay yet, but she had already collected most of the historical
facts.

Hester was a very careful little student, and as she prepared herself for
the great work, she thought little or nothing about the prize--she only
wanted to do justice to the unfortunate queen of France. She was in bed
that night, and just dropping off to sleep, when she suddenly remembered
that she had left a volume of French poetry on her school desk. This was
against the rules, and she knew that Miss Danesbury would confiscate the
book in the morning, and would not let her have it back for a week.
Hester particularly wanted this special book just now, as some of the
verses bore reference to her subject, and she could scarcely get on with
her essay without having it to refer to. She must lose no time in
instantly beginning to write her essay, and to do without her book of
poetry for a week would be a serious injury to her.

She resolved, therefore, to break through one of the rules, and, after
lying awake until the whole house was quiet, to slip down stairs, enter
the school-room and secure her poems. She heard the clock strike eleven,
and she knew that in a very few moments Miss Danesbury and Miss Good
would have retired to their rooms. Ah, yes, that was Miss Danesbury's
step passing her door. Ten minutes later she glided out of bed, slipped
on her dressing-gown, and opening her door ran swiftly down the
carpetless stairs, and found herself in the great stone hall which led to
the school-room.