as Rose started across the corridor, Caroline
was at her heels, quick as a cat.

It was not till Rose's hand was on the knob of the door across the hall
that Caroline spoke.

All she said was, "Where are you going?" in a quiet little whisper, but
Rose whirled upon her fiercely.

"You're following me," she cried, almost forgetting to whisper in her
fury. "What do you mean?"

"You'd better not make so much noise," said Caroline calmly. "We'll have
Miss Ada or Miss Cora down upon us if you're not careful."

"Miss Ada or Miss Cora," mimicked Rose, actually trembling with fear and
rage at being caught. "What do I care for Miss Ada or Miss Cora!"

"Well, I care a lot, if you don't," retorted Caroline, urging the
excited girl back toward the lighted dormitory. "I don't know what
you're so mad about anyway," she added, as Rose glared at her. "Your
time for playing guard was up, and when I came over to tell you about it
I found you were gone."

Caroline was fibbing--or, at least, partly so--but Rose had no way of
knowing that. What she did know was that she had made a goose of herself
for nothing, and all at once she hated Caroline more than she hated
Billie or any one else on earth.

But she did not dare show it. The only thing for her to do was to try to
pass the thing off the best she could. So when they reached the door she
looked up at Caroline with the best smile she could manage and tried
hard to keep her voice steady.

"I'm sorry I spoke as I did," she said. "I was just going to slip into
the dorm and get a bottle of olives that fell under the bed. And when
you spoke to me so suddenly it frightened me--that's all."

"It seems a pretty big chance to take--for a bottle of olives," said
Caroline gravely, and in spite of herself Rose flushed. Oh, how she
hated "grinds" that wore horn-rimmed spectacles!

The two were greeted joyfully by the rest of the girls, who would never
know just how near they had been to discovery.

"I guess the time's up for your watch, Rose," said Billie. "Come on,
let's draw lots and see who's the next."

Laura made a dash for the glass bowl that served as a lottery but
Caroline interrupted her.

"I'll stand watch for a while," she said, adding as the girls started to
protest: "It's hot in here and it's cool in the hall, and I need cooling
off. Will somebody hand me a sandwich once in a while?"

"I'll say we will," they cried, and immediately began plying her with so
many sandwich