ad but true," agreed Jerry without sadness.

During the short time that lay between them and the masquerade, the
Lookouts spent their free hours in arranging their costumes. Ronny had
to mend a broken place in one of her butterfly wings. Marjorie, Lucy and
Jerry had to turn needlewomen. While Marjorie and Lucy had to shorten
the skirts of their costumes, Jerry busied herself in laboriously
finishing the infant dress she had been working on for over two weeks.
"I'll never go back to infancy again, after the masquerade, believe me,"
she disgustedly declared. "Let me tell you, this sweet little baby gown
is fearfully and wonderfully made. I know, for I took every stitch in
it."

The day before the dance the sophomore team received the junior
challenge to play them on the twenty-seventh of February. Purposely to
keep their unworthy opponents on the anxious seat they did not
immediately answer the notice sent them. "Let them wait until after the
dance," Robin Page said scornfully. "If we had not determined to teach
them a lesson, we would turn down their challenge and state our reason
in good plain English."

The evening of the St. Valentine masquerade was always a gala one on
the campus. Dinner was served promptly at five-thirty. By seven o'clock,
if the weather permitted, masked figures in twos, threes and groups
might be seen parading the campus. Eight o'clock saw the beginning of
the grand march. Unmasking took place at half-past nine. Then the dance
continued merrily until midnight.

Hurrying from Science Hall after her last recitation of the afternoon,
Marjorie crossed the campus at a swift run. She was anxious to be early
at the lavatory for a shower before the girls began to arrive there in
numbers. Coming hastily into the hall she glanced at the bulletin board.
In the rack above it, lettered with each resident's name, was mail for
her. She gave a gurgle of pleasure as she saw that the topmost of two
letters was in her mother's hand. The other was not post-marked, which
indicated that it had come from someone at the college. She did not
recognize the writing.

Saving her mother's letter to read later, she tore open the other
envelope as she went upstairs. On the landing beside a hall window she
stopped and drew forth the contents. Her bright face clouded a trifle as
she perused the note.

"Dear Miss Dean: it read:

"It is too bad to trouble you when I know you are getting ready
for the masquerade, bu