t ten inches.

"Good evening. Come in." Addressed in a muffled voice, Marjorie caught
sight of a tall, black-robed figure. Before she could reply to the
muttered salutation, she felt herself seized by the arms and drawn into
the house with a jerk. Simultaneous with the harsh grasp of a pair of
strong hands the light in the hall was turned out.

"Oh!" She gave one sharp little scream and exerting her young strength
flung off the prisoning hands. "Keep your hands off me," she ordered
bravely.

Just then the door leading from the hall into the right hand room
opened. The light from several tall candles shone dimly into the hall.
She saw that she was surrounded by half a dozen dominoed masks.

"Bring in the prisoner," grated a harsh voice from within the room.
Despite Marjorie's command of hands off, she was given a sudden shove
forward which sent her roughly through the doorway and into the larger
apartment.

Sureness of foot saved her from stumbling. Strange to say, she had now
lost all fear of the company of masked figures in whose midst she stood.
It had begun to enforce itself upon her that she had been hoaxed into
visiting an empty house by those who had taken advantage of the
masquerade to carry out their plan without undue notice to themselves.
She was now certain that she was being hazed by students. She knew of
only one group of Hamilton girls who would be bold enough to
deliberately defy the strictest rule of Hamilton College.

The masked company were attired in black dominos; all save one who
appeared to be a kind of sinister master of ceremonies. This one wore a
domino of bright scarlet silk and a leering false face mask that was
hideous in the extreme. The flickering flame of the candles added to the
grim and horrifying effect. A girl of timid inclinations would have
been sadly frightened. Marjorie was made of sterner stuff. She had
experienced, briefly, actual terror when she felt herself seized and
drawn into the house. She had now recovered from that and was
righteously angry. She determined to assume contemptuous indifference,
for the time being, preferring to allow her captors to play their hand
first.

"Prisoner, you are now before the stern tribunal of the Scarlet Mask,"
announced the red dominoed figure in the same harsh guttural tones. "You
have been guilty of many crimes and are to be punished for these
tonight. If you obey my mandate you will escape with your wretched life.
Disobey and noth