oft luminous shadow right across Judy's bed, which was
empty. Molly started violently. Once before they had come into Judy's
room at midnight and found her bed empty. The startling recollection
caused Molly to run to the open window. As she leaned out her hand
touched something rough--a rope.

"A rope ladder!" she whispered to herself, horrified. "Great heavens,
Judy has done for herself now." Just then the rope scraped her knuckles
and she felt a tug at it from below. "Some one is coming up." Molly
looked out.

"Judy," she whispered in a tone filled with reproach. "How could you?"

The voice from above must have frightened the climber, for, with an
excited little gasp, she missed her hold on the rope and fell backward,
where she lay for a moment perfectly still. It was not a very great
fall, but it must have hurt, and instantly Molly climbed to the window
sill and began to make her way slowly down the ladder.

It was not so difficult as she had thought, but she was frightened when
at last she bounded onto the ground, and she was freezing cold in spite
of her knitted slippers and woolen dressing gown.

"Have you hurt yourself badly?" she asked, leaning over Judy, who was
endeavoring to sit up.

"No, only dazed from the fall," whispered Judy. "Go on up, will you, or
we'll both get caught."

"You'd better go first," said Molly, "I'm afraid to leave you down here
alone. Go on, instantly," she added, remembering that she must be stern
since Judy richly deserved all the reproaches she could think of.

Judy began the ascent and pulled herself over the window sill. Then
exhausted, she sat on the floor, holding her throbbing temples in both
hands. That is why she did not see what was presently to happen. Just as
Molly placed her foot on the first rung of the ladder, a firm hand
grasped her arm. Why she did not shriek aloud with all the power of her
lungs she never knew, but she remained perfectly silent while a
voice--and it was Miss Walker's voice--said in her ear:

"You will say nothing about this to-night. I wish you to come to my
office to-morrow morning at ten. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," answered Molly, reverting to her childhood's method of
answering older people. She climbed the ladder in a dazed sort of way.
It was more difficult than climbing down, but at last she scaled the
window sill and jumped into the room. Judy was still sitting on the
floor, holding her temples. Perhaps it had been only five m