e they entered the "winter quarters," which was
an old harness room in a corner of the smallest stable, until they left
to walk back over the ice-crusted boards to School Hall. It was during
that walk that Roy chanced to tell of Hammond's challenge. Harry was
intensely patriotic and the situation worried her for several minutes.

"There isn't a boy here that can skate," she said scornfully. "They're
all duffers. Unless--" she shot a glance at Roy--"unless you can?"

"Not much," answered her companion. "I can work around a rink all right
enough, but I never skated in a race in my life."

"Then we'll be beaten," said Harry dolefully. "And I hate that iceberg
boy!"

"Schonberg," corrected Roy laughingly.

"Well, some kind of an old berg. I wish--" Harry paused and walked for a
minute in silence. Then she turned with sparkling eyes. "I know!" she
cried.

"What do you know?"

"There's just one--person here that would stand any chance with
Iceberg."

"Who is he?"

"It isn't a he," answered Harry mysteriously.

"Not a he? Then who--what--?"

"It's me, stupid!"

"You? But--"

"Now don't you go and make a lot of objections," cried Harry. "I know
I'm not a boy, but I belong to the school--and I can skate; you ask any
of the boys; ask Chub or Jack--or Horace. So it's all settled. All
you've got to do is to write and tell Hammond that we'll race her any
afternoon that the ice will bear. But you needn't say it's me, you know.
See? Tell them we haven't decided yet--No, that wouldn't be the truth,
would it, for we have decided; at least, I have. Just tell them
that--that we'll race them, and don't say anything about who."

"That's great," laughed Roy, "and if Jack--and Horace--are willing, I
am. And I hope you'll beat him, Harry. How far do you want to race? They
said any distance."

"Then we'll decide that when the time comes," answered Harry. "Maybe a
mile, maybe a quarter; we'll see how the ice is, and the wind and all
that. And you'd better arrange it for a week from to-day, and I'll just
practice up all I can. That's all settled then, isn't it?"

"It certainly sounds so," laughed Roy. "And," he added as the clock in
School Hall tower rang eleven, "I wish you'd settle my Latin exam as
easily!"

CHAPTER XVI

"JUST FOR THE SCHOOL!"

There was a stiff, biting wind blowing straight down the river, nipping
the fingers and toes of the crowd about the landing and whirling away
the smoke from the chimney