n burst into laughter again. "You dear little innocent!" she
exclaimed. "You're so blind--blind as a bat! You never see the boys at
all. You look on Tom to-day just as though he were the same Tom that you
helped find the time he fell off his bicycle and was hurt by the roadside.
You remember? Ages and ages ago!"

But did Ruth look upon Tom Cameron in just that way? She said nothing in
reply to Tom's sister.

They came out of the house together and joined Mr. Hammond and Miss Gray
just as they were about to step into the limousine. Aunt Alvirah waved her
hand from the window.

"She's just lovely!" declared Miss Gray. "You should have met her, Mr.
Hammond."

"That pleasure is in reserve," said the gentleman, smiling. "I hope to see
the Red Mill again."

Tom came hurrying down to shake hands with Miss Gray. Ruth watched them
with some puzzlement of mind. Tom was undoubtedly embarrassed; but the
moving picture girl was too used to making an impression upon susceptible
minds to be much disturbed by Tom Cameron's worship.

Mr. Hammond looked out of the door of the limousine before he closed it.

"Remember, Ruth Fielding, I shall be on the lookout for what you promised
me."

"Oh, yes, sir!" Ruth cried, all in a flutter, for the moment having
forgotten the scenario she proposed to write.

"That's a promise!" he said again gaily, and closed the door. The big car
rolled away and left the three friends at the gateway.

"_What's_ a promise, Ruth Fielding?" demanded her chum, with immense
curiosity.

Ruth blushed and showed some confusion. "It's--it's a secret," she
stammered.

"A secret from _me_?" cried Helen, in amazement.

"I--I couldn't tell even you, dearie, just now," Ruth said, with sudden
seriousness. "But you shall know about it before anybody else."

"That Mr. Hammond is in it."

"Yes," admitted her chum. "That is just it. I don't feel that I can speak
to anybody about it yet."

"Oh! then it's _his_ secret?"

"Partly," Ruth said, her eyes dancing, for there and then, right at that
very moment, she fell upon the subject for the first scenario she intended
to submit to Mr. Hammond. It was "Curiosity"--a new version of Pandora's
Box.

Helen was such a sweet-tempered girl that her chum's little mystery did
not cause her more than momentary vexation.

Besides, their vacation time was now very short. Many things had to be
discussed about the coming semester. At its end, in June, Ruth and Helen
hoped to