y commenced to build a camp-fire.

Before very long the flames were dancing up. Now, the hostesses in their
enthusiasm to be hospitable had foolishly forgotten that it is one thing
to stir a pan over a methylated spirit lamp, and quite another to hold
it over a camp-fire. Peachy, Agnes, and Mary tried in turns and scorched
their hands, egged on by the interested circle watching their
performance.

"Make a big bonfire, and let it die down, and put the pan in the hot
ashes, just as we cook chestnuts," proposed Irene.

It was, at least, a feasible suggestion. Anything seemed better than
open failure before those nineteen pairs of expectant eyes. Volunteers
went off for fresh supplies of wood, which was soon crackling merrily.
But alas! the Camellia Buds, being rather overwrought and flustered with
their experiments, did not calculate on the fact that the smoke of their
bonfire would give away their secret. Rachel had handed her tennis
racket to Phyllis, and was taking a turn among the orange trees to try
to memorize her recitation for the elocution class.

"'All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,'"

she repeated; then, catching sight of the gray cloud rising from the
back of the summer-house, "Hello! What's Giovanni burning? He'll set
those orange trees on fire if he doesn't mind."

Abandoning Shakespeare Rachel stalked away to investigate, and surprised
the candy party by a sudden appearance in their midst.

"Good gracious, girls! Whatever are you doing here?" she demanded in
idiomatic, if hardly strictly classical English.

At the unwelcome sight of the head prefect the juniors one and all
simply stampeded, and I regret to say that the more timid of the
Camellia Buds followed their example. Peachy, Irene, Lorna, Delia, and
Jess stood their ground, however.

"We--we were only giving those kids a little fun," answered Peachy.

In dead silence Rachel reviewed the pan, its contents, and the blushing
faces before her. Then she said:

"Rather dangerous fun. If that tree catches it will set the summer-house
in a blaze next. You know your fire drill? Well, each fetch a bucket of
water and put this out! Right turn! Quick march!"

At the words of command the luckless five fled to the house and into the
back hall where the fire buckets were kept. They