aid, with a sickly grin.

"You bad boy!" exclaimed Grace. "What do you mean by dressing up like
this? Don't you know you might frighten some timid person terribly?"

"Initiation," said the youth, with a grin, rising on his elbow and
looking as though he would like to make a sudden break for liberty.
"Part of the sacred obligations of the 'Knights and Squires' frat. Three
fellows of us were initiated to-night. This was the last stunt."

"Well, I suppose under those circumstances we shall have to forgive you.
Did you appear to any one else?" asked Grace.

"Only to that old crank Miss Brant. She was scared out of her wits,"
replied James, laughing. "Two of your crowd got out in a hurry, too,
didn't they?"

"I suppose I shall have to confess that they did," replied Grace. "If
I were you, James, I'd take off that costume and hurry away. Miss Brant
is liable to inform the police, and they might not look at initiation
stunts as we do."

"That's right," said James, looking a trifle alarmed. "Wonder where the
fellows went. I'd better put them on. We never thought of that. If you
girls will excuse me, I'll hunt them up."

"Certainly," said the girls. "Good night, James."

"Good night," replied the youth. "You girls are all right. Can't scare
you." With a nod to them he started across the grass on the run, his
ghostly garments trailing behind him.

"I'm glad that wasn't David," said Anne as James disappeared. "I was
afraid when first I saw them that they might be our boys. I didn't feel
frightened at all, after what Grace had said about meeting David."

"Eva and Marian didn't show any great amount of courage," said Nora,
laughing. "I wonder if they ran all the way home."

"There they are ahead of us," said Anne.

True enough, the two girls stood on the corner waiting for the others to
come up.

"Why don't you hurry on home?" called Nora. "'The goblins will git you,
ef you don't watch out.'"

"Don't tease," said Marian Barber, looking rather foolish. "We are
awfully sorry we ran away, but when I saw those awful white figures
coming toward us, I just had to run and so did Eva. Who on earth were
they, and where did they go?"

In a few words Grace told her what had happened.

"That horrid James Gardiner. I'll never speak to him again," cried Eva
Allen. "I hope he didn't recognize us. He'll tell every one in school
about it."

"I don't think he did," replied Grace. "Oh, look, girls! Here comes
Officer Donavan! I w