a sweet girl," said Ella, in a far more
civil tone than she generally used.

"I don't know, on the whole, that I will," answered Patty.

Her three companions gasped.

"Why not?" asked Doris.

"Don't tease, Patty! It's getting dark and cold," said May.

"Do be quick, Patty!" said Ella.

"It would be colder still if you spent the night there," said Patty.
"Think how nice it would be for me, though, to have the bedroom all to
myself!"

"Patty, you can't really mean to leave us here!"

"If I put the ladder up, I shall expect something in return," declared
Patty.

"All right. Go on. What do you want?"

"You'll all three have to promise never to light the gas again after
Miss Rowe's turned it out, and not to read books that aren't allowed."

"Don't be stupid, Patty; we've argued that point so often."

[Illustration: "YOU'LL ALL THREE HAVE TO PROMISE NEVER TO LIGHT THE GAS
AGAIN AFTER MISS ROWE'S TURNED IT OUT"]

"Very well," said Patty, briefly, pretending to walk away.

A despairing wail from the girls, however, brought her back.

"Don't go! Won't you take anything else?" entreated Doris.

"Not a single thing," said Patty, firmly.

"How mean you are!"

"There's the tea bell," said Patty. "You'd better decide quickly,
because I can't wait."

"Suppose we promise only to read books out of the library," began Ella,
"and light the gas sometimes?"

"Good-night!" replied Patty, turning this time as if she really meant to
go.

"We'll promise! We'll promise!" cried the three shivering figures on the
roof.

"Everything?"

"Yes, if you like."

"On your honour?"

"On our honour."

"Never again?"

"Never."

"It's a bargain, then. Now you may all come down."

Patty reared the ladder against the wall, and held it steady while her
companions descended. She felt in good spirits, for she had enjoyed the
fun of keeping them imprisoned, and had been able by guile to extort a
promise which her strongest protests had hitherto failed to gain from
them.

"They don't know I hid the ladder," she said to herself as they all
hurried in to tea, "and I don't mean to tell them. It's a grand victory
for me. I shall hold them strictly to their word, and now at last we
shall have a little peace in No. 7, and I shan't have to lie awake every
night listening in fear and trembling for Miss Rowe."

CHAPTER VIII

A Great Disappointment

As December passed by, and the term drew to a close, Patty's impatience