you were doing in the tree?" demanded
the Chief Guardian.

"I went up to assist my companion."

"What was she doing there--how did she chance to be in the tree?"

"I do not know, Mrs. Livingston. Tommy will know. I was not there when she
climbed the tree. I heard her call and went to her assistance."

Mrs. Livingston did not say that Harriet's being near enough to hear the
call before any of the others had heard it, needed explanation. Instead
she turned to Tommy.

"Miss Thompson, what were you doing in the tree?"

"I wath hanging down."

"How did you get up there? Did some one lift you there?"

"I climbed. Then when I got up far enough tho they couldn't get me, I
yelled."

"So who could not get you?" questioned the Chief Guardian sharply.

"Oh, thome folkth that I wath taking a walk with through the woodth,"
answered Tommy lamely.

"Young women we will return to the camp," announced Mrs. Livingston. It
was a silent procession, except in the case of Grace, who kept up a
continual chatter without saying much of anything.

Most of the girls were aware that a serious offense had been committed and
that the morrow would be a day of reckoning. More than one girl in that
party was shivering as though from the chill night air. All crawled into
bed silently that night with expectations of trouble when morning came.

CHAPTER X

AROUND THE COUNCIL FIRE

Tommy's sprightly remarks failed to draw forth the customary laughter that
usually greeted them at breakfast that morning. The faces of most of the
girls wore serious expressions. Mrs. Livingston and the guardians were
grave, speaking in low tones when they spoke at all, as if to impress upon
all the Camp Girls the gravity of the previous night's occurrences. The
suspicion of a laugh was raised, however, by Tommy's remark toward the
close of the meal.

"I with thomebody would laugh," she complained with a queer little
grimace.

"You may laugh if you wish," answered the Chief Guardian pleasantly. But
somehow Tommy couldn't quite bring herself to do so.

Breakfast being finished the daily routine of the camp went on with its
accustomed regularity. Not a word had been spoken about the hazing of the
two new girls. The guardians were following some carefully laid plan, but
Harriet wondered that no inquiry was made. She had fully looked for a
searching investigation to take place immediately after breakfast. None
came.

The first work that the new girls