e in the
bushes was duly thankful. The movement in the bushes, which had abruptly
ceased, following the call, had not been resumed. This worried her
somewhat. If the person out there were in the least a woodsman, he would
know that some one of the party was out of the camp and would be on his
guard. This might defeat the plan she had in mind. But there was only
one thing to do, that was to remain in her present hiding place, keeping
prudent silence and awaiting results. This was what Harriet did.

She crouched there fully fifteen minutes after the interruption from the
camp before the presence of another person was again revealed. A sound
so close that Harriet barely repressed an exclamation of surprise caught
her ears. The girl for a few seconds held her breath. She could hear
the beating of her heart so plainly that she feared that the other person
might hear it as well.

There followed another period of silence, but much more brief than the
previous one. It was then that Harriet Burrell was able to distinguish
the figure of a man--that is, his head and shoulders. The night was too
dark to enable her to do more than decide upon what it was.

Now he began creeping cautiously toward the camp, going only a few paces
at a time, then halting to listen. Harriet moved with him, though not so
fast. She was stepping directly toward the camp, which lay directly
ahead of her, whereas the man was following a different course with the
same destination in view. When he moved, Harriet moved; when he halted,
she did so. Halting a second too late would undoubtedly reveal her
presence, hence the girl exercised unusual caution, making little more
disturbance than a cat stalking its prey. Once she sank down noiselessly
when, by a movement of the head and shoulders, she discovered that the
man was turning to look behind him.

"If he gets within sight of the camp he will see that one of the party is
missing, if he knows how many of us there are," reasoned the young woman
shrewdly. "I must be on my guard when he discovers that, or something
may happen." Harriet might have called out to warn her companions, but
that was not a part of her plan as yet.

About seventy-five yards had been traversed in this manner when a sudden
change came over the scene, for, between Harriet Burrell and the intruder
whom she was stalking, the camp of the Meadow-Brook Girls was soon to be
thrown into wild turmoil and the young woman's utmost