,
that's the secretary's name, is the one who helped them. I hope some day
to be able to prove it."

CHAPTER XV.

THE RENDEZVOUS.

The noisy entrance into the room of Muriel, Jerry, Leila, Vera and
Ronny, with the disappointing news that Phyllis had lost the freshman
presidency by only nine votes, broke up the confidential session.

"We went to our room first but you were not to be seen. Thought you'd be
here. Last I saw of you you had started on a hunt for Lucy. Isn't it a
shame about the election? To think that Walbert snip won!" Jerry
elevated her nose in utter disapproval. "Won't the Sans crow? They will
blow her off to dinners and spreads for a week to come. I hope she gets
an awful case of indigestion."

"How very cruel you are, Jeremiah." Nevertheless, Ronny laughed with the
others. Jerry's hopes for the downfall of her enemies were usually
energetic and sweeping.

"I can be a lot more cruel than that," she boasted. "It made me tired to
hear those sillies had elected that girl to the class presidency. Glad
I'm not a freshie. They will rue it before the year is up. Phil's
supporters are as mad as hops."

Many of the upper-class girls shared Jerry's opinion. The Sans' open
championship of Elizabeth Walbert had excited unfavorable comment on the
campus. While the upper-class students aimed to be helpful elder sisters
to the freshmen, college etiquette forbade a too-marked interest in
freshman affairs. The Sans had over-reached themselves and were bound to
come in for adverse criticism in college circles where tradition was
still respected.

The Sans, however, were oblivious to everything save the fact that they
had gained their point. Leslie Cairns was radiant over the victory and
gave an elaborate dinner that evening at the Colonial in honor of
Elizabeth. Besides the Sans, Alida Burton and Lola Elster, twenty-two
freshmen were invited. She engaged the restaurant for the evening and
spared no pains and expense to make the dinner what she termed "a
howler."

Following on the heels of her triumph strode calamity. The mail next
morning brought her a letter which lashed her into a furious rage. It
was a terse summons to appear at Doctor Matthews' office at eleven
o'clock that morning. More, the four lines comprising it had been
penned, not typed. Her instant surmise was that the summons had to do
with the recent accident of Katherine Langly. She could think of no
other reason for it, unless--Leslie