hile they were removing their wraps. "They think it's a
party!"

"Isn't it?" asked Marjorie, quite distressed.

"For some of the girls, but not for you!" replied the Captain,
significantly. "All the Scouts who wish to qualify for first-class test
are to take signalling with Mr. Remington. The rest of us will stay here
for games."

"Oh!" exclaimed Ruth, sinking down in her chair. "How could you,
Captain?"

"Why didn't you warn us?" demanded Ethel.

"I didn't want to make you nervous, or to spoil this afternoon's ride.
Now listen while I read the names of the girls who are to take the
test." And she proceeded to read the list of girls whom she had
previously announced as qualified. "I would like those twelve girls,"
she concluded, "to follow Mr. Remington to his office."

Marjorie arose with the others, and did as her Captain directed; but
with each step that took her nearer to the place of the examination, she
felt herself losing courage.

"Your handbook requires that you be able to send and receive semaphore
at the rate of thirty-two letters a minute," said Mr. Remington, when
they were all finally seated in the Boy Scout room; "but Miss Phillips
tells me the requirement has been lowered by National Headquarters to
sixteen. I shall, therefore, pass all of the girls who can receive at
the latter rate, but shall later test to see whether anyone can make the
higher record."

He proceeded to give the required examinations in both the semaphore and
the Morse codes, making them strict, as Miss Phillips had directed. Only
four of the twelve girls passed on both codes--Edith Evans, Ruth Henry,
Ethel Todd, and Marjorie Wilkinson. And, to Mr. Remington's amazement,
all of these girls passed the more difficult standard of thirty-two
letters a minute!

"I think you have all earned a chance to dance!" he said, leading the
way back to the big parlor where the rest of the young people were
enjoying themselves.

And Marjorie and Ruth both danced with happy hearts, for they felt that
the most difficult part of their first-class test was behind them, and
their trip to Washington practically assured.

CHAPTER XX

THE TRIP TO WASHINGTON

Miss Phillips had feared that more than eight girls would qualify as
first-class Scouts, and that, therefore, some would be disappointed at
not being included in the Washington trip; but she found that, as the
weeks went by, fewer girls than she had anticipated became eligible.
U