r your face a
wee bit, and nobody'll recognise you like that. Now come, Meg, you
won't refuse? I 'd do it myself, and do it well; only I _might_ be
discovered, but you wouldn't. Who'll think of Meg Drummond turning
into the ghost? You must clasp your skeleton hands and say _very_
mournfully, "Dry my locks, sweet maid of England!" That's all. She'll
be sure to go out into the grounds, and the rest of us will be close
by, ready to catch her up if she swoons; and she 'll never guess to her
dying day but that she has seen a ghost.'

The plot was prepared with immense care. It was the most tremendously
exciting thing that the girls had ever heard of, and even the Frasers
were drawn in, more particularly as the worst it could possibly do was
to give that naughty, proud Leucha a fright. They were very sick of
their cousin, and very angry with her; and it was finally decided that
the girl who was to come to her rescue in the moment of her terrible
extremity was to be Hollyhock herself. The others were all to fly out
of sight. Hollyhock was to desire ghostie to go, and was to support
Leucha into the house. After that--well, no one quite knew what would
come!

CHAPTER XVII.

THE GREAT CONSPIRACY.

There was suppressed excitement in the school, that sort which cannot
be described, but which most assuredly must be felt. Mrs Macintyre put
it down to the advent of the fifteen girls who had just arrived from
Edinburgh.

Leucha stirred herself and made a vain endeavour to become friends with
them; but they were Scots to the backbone, and went over instantly in a
body to Hollyhock's circle. This was so immense now that it actually
comprised the entire school, except the poor miserable Daisy and the
naughty Leucha, whose anger against Hollyhock, combined with a kind of
undefined admiration, which she would not for the life of her admit,
grew fiercer and stronger hour by hour. It was like a great flame
burning in her breast. She would _do_ for Hollyhock yet, but how and
in what fashion?

Hollyhock, meanwhile, collected her forces round her. The days were
getting very short. The nights were long and cold. Winter was on the
English girls--a Scottish winter, which caused them to shiver,
notwithstanding their comforts. Leucha was, however, far too proud to
confess that she did not like the weather. She spoke of the school in
tones of rapture to the new girls, who barely looked at her and
scarcely listened.