that she would go to Miss Walters herself and plead
for Billie.

And all this, nobody seeing Caroline, quiet, reserved, studying
furiously for the mid-term examinations that were coming dangerously
near, would have guessed at. Nor would they have guessed that Caroline
was breaking her rule and going to Billie's party simply to keep Billie
from harm.

CHAPTER XIV

BILLIE SNORES SUCCESSFULLY

It was a wonder any of the girls could keep their minds on their lessons
that morning. As a matter of fact, they recited so poorly for Miss Ada
and Miss Cora that the two "Dill Pickles" turned sourer than ever and
threatened to report them to Miss Walters.

But what did they care? The night was before them!

Seven o'clock came, then eight o'clock, and then nine. The gong rang for
"lights out," and every girl was in bed and, apparently, sound asleep.

But underneath the bed of each and every girl who was to be in the party
was a box or a basket filled to the brim with smuggled dainties.

These containers held cold meat and pickles from the delicatessen shop
near by. There was jelly. Olives and biscuits and fancy cakes with
foolish icing on top were there--everything in fact that goes to the
making of a first class midnight feast.

Miss Ada Dill, making her evening round of the dormitories to see that
all was well and every girl in her place, found nothing to arouse her
suspicions until she came to Billie's dormitory. Then she paused,
started to close the door, opened it again and stood still, intently
listening.

And it was Billie who, in her eagerness not to be discovered, almost
gave the thing away. For Billie was snoring, gently but decidedly
snoring, and to Miss Ada's trained ear, the snore did not sound natural.

So in she came, and Billie, watching out of the corner of one eye, felt
a panicky desire to pull the covers over her head and hide.

Suppose Miss Ada should discover that five of the girls in dormitory "C"
were not undressed at all, but wore their nightgowns over their clothes?

Suppose--but this was too awful even to imagine--Miss Ada should
discover those baskets under the beds. Billie shivered and almost gave
the thing away a second time.

Miss Ada slowly made the rounds of the beds, scrutinizing each girl
sharply and passing them by one by one reluctantly until she came to
Billie's bed.

Billie was still snoring gallantly--she did not know what else to do. If
she stopped now it would be a