arrow shave!" she said to herself. "If that was Vivian, and
she had caught me, I expect she'd have made herself uncommonly
disagreeable."

In the meantime, Vivian had returned to the recreation room, and told
the story of Evelyn's groundless fears to the elder girls assembled
there.

"A shock of this kind is extremely bad for Evie," said Meta. "She had a
nervous fever four years ago, and has been so fragile and highly-strung
ever since. She was sent to Chessington because we hoped the bracing
air might do her good. I remember she used to have night terrors when
she was a wee child, but we thought she had quite got over them."

"She looks very white and delicate," said Vivian. "She's all eyes. If
she were my sister, I should like to see her less 'nervy'."

"Perhaps I had better run upstairs to her," said Meta, rather
anxiously. "Now I think of it, I remember she always seems most
relieved when May and Trissie and I make our appearance at
nine-thirty."

Meta found the landing in total darkness, a most unusual occurrence, as
the electric light was always left on there. She felt her way along by
the wall, and as she did so she was aware of somebody coming towards
her from the opposite end of the long corridor. Whoever it was carried
a light in her hand, so small as to make only a faint glimmer, but
enough to allow Meta to perceive that she turned into No. 4. The next
moment a cry of frantic fear issued from the room. Meta hurried
forward, her heart throbbing wildly, while the figure, rushing from the
room, and showing in its hasty flight a white-veiled head, darted up
the steps to No. 8, and disappeared, light and all.

It did not take Meta more than three seconds to reach her sister's
bedside. Strangled sounds issued from under the clothes, where Evelyn
lay cowering in mortal terror; and again, as Meta placed her hand on
the bed, came that convulsive, half-stifled cry.

"Evie! Evie dear! Don't you know me?" exclaimed Meta.

Realizing at last who stood near, Evelyn sat up and flung her arms
round her sister. She was in a most agitated, hysterical condition,
trembling and quivering with sobs. Meta soothed her as well as she
could, and requested Vivian, who had followed to see that all was
right, to switch on the bedroom light, and also the one in the passage.

"Someone must have intentionally turned it off," she said, "on purpose
to play this trick."

"I know I'm silly!" choked Evelyn, more reassured now that the