o
lose no time in finding her beloved Grace.

The gallery was already half full of people. Anne moved about looking for
David, or some one who could help her. Just then Mrs. Harlowe appeared at
the door.

"Where is Grace, Mrs. Harlowe?" Anne demanded eagerly.

"I don't know, dear," answered Mrs. Harlowe "She ate her dinner and went
off in such a hurry that I hardly had time to speak to her. She told me
she wanted to get back to meet the girls."

Anne ran back to the locker-room.

"Grace left home hours ago," she cried. "I just felt that something had
happened."

Jessica opened Grace's locker.

"Grace must be in the building," she exclaimed "Here are her clothes."

The girls began to rush about wildly, looking for their captain in the
various rooms on the basement floor.

In a few moments a junior came to the door.

"The game will be called in ten minutes," she said. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," answered Nora calmly. "Be careful," she whispered. "Don't let them
know yet."

Anne ran again to the gymnasium.

"I'll get David this time," she said to herself. "Something will have to
be done if Grace is to be found in time."

David was sitting at one side of the gallery with Reddy and Hippy.

He looked very grave when Anne whispered the news to him. The place was
packed with impatient spectators. The junior team was already standing on
the floor talking in low voices as they waited impatiently for their
opponents to appear at the opposite end.

"She must be somewhere in the building," David ejaculated. "That is if she
has on her gymnasium suit. Have you looked upstairs yet?"

"No," replied Anne, "but we have been all through the downstairs' rooms."

As they ran up the steps they heard the shrill whistle that summoned the
players to their positions.

"Come on," cried Nora. "Miriam, you will have to take Grace's place, and
Eva Allen will substitute for you."

It still lacked a few moments of the toss up; the whistle having been
blown sooner to hurry the dilatory sophomores, who seemed determined to
linger, unaccountably, in the little side room.

But in that brief time a remarkable change had taken place in the demeanor
of Miriam Nesbit. Two brilliant spots burned on her cheeks, and her black
eyes flashed and glowed with happiness. The other girls were too downcast
and wretched to notice the transformation. They walked slowly into the
gymnasium and stood, ill at ease and downcast, at their end of the hall.