the
students intended to fit it up as a private gymnasium. As the agent's
mind dwelt only on the glorious fact that he had been handed six months'
rental in advance, after charging a rate per month which was three times
more than the house was worth. Beyond that he was not interested in the
tenants.

The august tribunal had taken pains to lock the front door after them.
Due to a squabble among themselves on their arrival at the house, the
back door had remained unlocked. Dulcie Vale had been roughly ordered by
Leslie to see to it. Dulcie was sulking, however, at Leslie's
high-handed manner. She resolved to take her time about it. Then her
interest centered on something else, momentarily, and she forgot it.

About the time that the worried rescuers were starting from Wayland
Hall, Marjorie was throwing fearless defiance in the faces of her
captors. Her contemptuous arraignment, ending with an allusion to the
affair on the campus of the previous March, was highly displeasing to
her masked listeners. Angry murmurs arose from behind masks and several
sibilant hisses cut the storm-laden air.

"Ssss! Death! Show no mercy!" were some of the pleasant returns that met
Marjorie's ear.

The Scarlet Mask, thus-called, made a sudden move toward Marjorie as
though to lay violent hold upon her. The other masked figures also took
a step nearer. Marjorie braced herself to meet an attack, if it came to
that. There was a steady light in her brown eyes which the Scarlet Mask
did not miss seeing. She contented herself with stopping short directly
in front of Marjorie and staring fixedly at her. The effect of two
malignant eyes peering through the eye-holes of the hideous false face
would have been terrifying to a timid girl. Marjorie was not to be
intimidated.

"Prisoner, your remarks are unseemly and ill befit your serious
situation." It was evident the wily intention of the Scarlet Mask to
ignore the guilty truth which Marjorie had flung at the masked
assemblage. "You are one against many. It is not the purpose of the high
tribunal to allow you to escape. You are at our mercy until such time as
we shall choose to release you. You are pleased to pretend that our
identity is known to you. You little know those before whom you now
stand. You are in the presence of a group of stern avengers, sworn to
see justice done to those whom you have maligned. Were we to remove our
masks you would find yourself in the company of strangers. We know