Harriet bade both girls a courteous good night as she turned in to her
cot. They were more slow to get to bed, and a guardian's voice reminding
them that it was then a quarter after nine, fifteen minutes past the time
when lights should be out, caused the two girls quickly to extinguish the
lantern that hung on the centre pole and seek their cots. Harriet in a
half doze realized that they were talking. She roused herself, not to
listen, but because they had disturbed her. But Harriet would not ask them
to be quiet. As for Tommy, that young woman was asleep almost the instant
she touched the cot. It will be recalled that she had had little sleep
during the previous night.

Then Harriet went to sleep with the whisperings of Patricia and Cora
reaching her but faintly. She recalled afterwards that when she roused
herself they were sitting on the edge of Patricia's cot.

As the night advanced the camp became dark and silent. Two or three
figures might have been seen stealing into the tent where the two
Meadow-Brook Girls lay sleeping, but their movements were so cautious and
stealthy that they did not awaken the sleepers.

There was sudden rush of feet, a smothered exclamation and a half cry of
alarm from Tommy's cot, then a struggle from Harriet's side of the tent A
few moments of silence followed, after which two forms with their heads
swathed in towels were led from the tent, one struggling with all her
strength to free herself from her captors, the other walking along without
a protesting word or action.

The camp slumbered on. Not a sound had reached the ears of the sleeping
guardians near at hand, nor had another Camp Girl been awakened. The
figures of captors and captives were swallowed up in the gloom of the
forest within a few moments.

CHAPTER IX

SOUNDING THE GENERAL ALARM

The instant a hand touched her cot Harriet Burrell was awake and sitting
up. But to her amazement she was thrown on her back, a towel was twisted
about her head by a pair of dexterous hands and her arms were pinioned at
her sides. At first she did not know what to make of this sudden attack,
then a warning whisper in a girlish voice brought understanding with it.
Harriet had been struggling with good prospect of getting free, but she
ceased her efforts at once upon coming to the conclusion that some of the
Camp Girls were playing a midnight trick on her. Harriet even assisted
them by obediently rising from her cot. A pair of