dog when she saw Linda approach.

Linda came skating along warily, and arrived at the chums' bench by a
series of graceful curves. She was rather a good skater, but more showy
than firm on her skates.

"Oh, girls! I'm awful glad to see you," Linda cried, boisterously--and
that boisterousness doubtless was assumed to cover her natural
embarrassment at meeting again the girl whom she had so injured. "I
didn't have time," pursued Linda, hurriedly, "the other day, to thank you
properly--or Walter--for helping me out of that sleigh. I _was_ scared."

"I should think you would have been," Bess said, rather grimly. "I'm sure
I thought you would never get out of it alive."

"Well," repeated Linda, more doubtfully, for Nan had remained silent, "I
wanted to thank you for what you did for me."

"You needn't thank me," said Bess, sharply. "For I didn't do a thing."

"Well, Nan Sherwood did, I s'pose," Linda observed, her color rising.

"You are heartily welcome if you think you need to thank me, Linda," Nan
said, quietly. "But Walter really did it all."

"Of course!" said Linda, tossing her head, for Bess' manner had rasped
the rich girl, "I know it took Walter to do it. But I presumed you girls
expected to be thanked, too," and she turned sharply away.

"Oh, Bess! we ought not to have spoken as we did," murmured Nan,
contritely.

"Pooh! Let her go. Mean old thing!" exclaimed Bess. "And you didn't say
anything to get her mad. Crocodile tears! what did I tell you? Linda
Riggs is a regular cat--"

"Both cat and crocodile?" giggled Nan. "Your natural history, Bess,
honey, must be slightly twisted."

"I've about got that girl's number, just the same," said Bess, slangily.
"You wait, Nan. She'll be just as mean when we get to Lakeview Hall as
ever she was. Mark my word."

"All right, Worthy Prophetess," said Nan, seriously. "I mark thee well.
But I am afraid we are in the wrong this time. We should have encouraged
her attempt to be grateful."

She had no idea--nor had Nan Sherwood herself--that it lay within Linda's
power, if it did in her wish, to injure Nan further. But Fate weaves
strange webs of ordinary circumstances and that very evening Nan Sherwood
came in close contact with Linda Riggs again, and the incident savored of
a new peril, as keen as it was unexpected.

Walter was a minute late at the dinner table that night and as he slid
into his seat beside Nan, after excusing himself to his mother and
receiving