ewed up my face, and
said ghosts glided. I stopped at once when Vivian asked me. How could
Evelyn have been so fearfully frightened just at that?"

"I can't imagine," said Janie, "except that she's such an extremely
nervous girl."

"It's too bad to blame me on that account."

"Vivian is generally very severe."

"She's always down on me! I'm continually in hot water, and half the
time I don't know exactly why."

It was not until the next afternoon that Honor learnt of the practical
joke that had been practised upon her schoolfellow. As she was washing
her hands in the dressing-room she chanced to overhear a few remarks
between two or three girls who were discussing the affair, and at once
questioned them about it.

"Of course Meta knew it was you, Honor!" said Ruth Latimer, rather
reproachfully.

"Why of course?" asked Honor.

"Because it couldn't be anyone else. You're always playing tricks upon
someone."

"It's a case of 'give a dog a bad name', then. I'm innocent for once."

"But the ghost ran up the steps to No. 8!"

"That's only 'circumstantial evidence'. I certainly didn't do it. Janie
can tell you that I never left the bedroom."

"Yes, I could take my oath in a law court, as a reliable witness,"
vouched Janie.

"Then who was it?"

Honor shook her head.

"Ask me a harder!" she said briefly.

Flossie, who was standing near, looked rather conscious, but
volunteered no explanation.

"It's a most peculiar thing," said Ruth. "Somebody must have been the
ghost, I suppose."

"Unless it were a real one!" suggested Flossie. "It might----"

"What nonsense! Nobody believes in ghosts, except, perhaps, Evelyn,"
interrupted Ruth scornfully. "Of course, it was a girl playing a trick.
The only question is, who?"

"Could it be May or Trissie Turner?" suggested Flossie.

"Impossible! Evelyn's own cousins--and in the Sixth Form, too!"

"It's very extraordinary!"

"It ought to be properly cleared up," said Lettice Talbot.

"Suppose we ask every girl in the house if she knows anything,"
proposed Dorothy Arkwright.

"No; Meta begged us to let the matter drop," replied Ruth. "She says
Evelyn is extremely sensitive about it, and can't bear the subject
alluded to."

"Evelyn looked very ill this morning," observed Dorothy.

"Yes; Meta says she has had a severe shock, and the least reference to
it might upset her again."

"So it will have to remain unexplained?"

"I suppose so," said Flossie. "It seem