dget always reached her conclusions with a hop, skip, and jump.

So the girls began to dress, and in a very few minutes they were
buttoning each other's frocks and tying each other's hair ribbons.

Marjorie had invented a way by which they could tie each other's hair
ribbons at the same time, but as it oftenest resulted in pulled hair and
badly made bows, it was not much of a time-saver after all.

"But I do think, Kit," she said, "being in such haste this morning, we
might manage to button each other's dresses at the same time. Stand back
to back and let's try."

The trial was a decided failure, and resulted only in a frolic, after
which the buttoning was done separately and successfully.

"And anyway, we're not in such a hurry," commented Kitty, "and don't ever
try that stunt again, Mopsy. My arms are nearly twisted off!"

"All right, Kit, I won't. Now are you ready? Come on; don't make any
noise; we don't want to wake anybody."

They tiptoed downstairs, and as a greater precaution against waking the
sleeping grownups, they went through the kitchen, and out at the back
door, which they easily unbolted from the inside.

"We'll have to leave this door unfastened," said Marjorie. "I hope no
burglars will get in."

"Of course they won't; burglars never come around after sunrise. Oh,
isn't it lovely to smell the fresh morningness!"

Kitty stood still, and sniffed the clear, crisp air, while the
exhilarating effects of the atmosphere caused Marjorie to dance and
prance in circles round her quieter sister.

"When you've sniffed enough, come on, Kit," she said, dancing away toward
Stella's house.

Kitty came on, and soon they stood on the greensward directly beneath
Stella's bedroom window.

The morning was very still, and the Martins' house looked forbidding,
with its silent, closed-up air. It was not yet half-past five, and not
even the servants were stirring.

Marjorie's courage failed her. "I guess we won't try Stella first," she
whispered to Kitty. "Stella's so scary. Once I just said '_boo_' at
her, and she cried like fury. If we fire pebbles at her window, like as
not she'll think it's a burglar and have yelling hysterics."

"Burglars don't throw pebbles to wake people up."

"Well, Stella's just as likely to think they do. You never can tell what
Stella's going to think, or what she's going to do, either. Anyway, let's
go to Molly's first; you can't scare her."

"All right," agreed Kitty, and hand i