Straight to a curtained doorway Adrienne flitted, followed by her
faithful shadows. Sweeping the chintz curtain aside with a lightning
movement of her hand, she paused.

Looking over her shoulder, three girls saw a motionless figure lying
flat on the closet floor. In that fraction of a second the figure
suddenly acquired motion and speech. A scramble, an appalled "Oh!" and a
very angry and thoroughly frightened girl was on her feet, confronting
Adrienne. Her companions had now fallen back a little from the doorway.
The listener now made a futile attempt at composure.

"What--why----" she gasped.

"Come out of this closet, dishonorable one," commanded Adrienne sternly.
"Ah, but it is I who had the luck to discover you in the act of
listening. Had you not too hastily shut the register when you heard me
enter the closet on the other side, I should never have guessed. Come
out instantly."

The imperious repetition of the command served its purpose. Adrienne
backed out of the closet into the room, followed by Elsie Noble. The
latter's small black eyes refused to meet those of her accuser. The
blazing red of her cheeks betrayed her utter humiliation.

For a brief instant no one spoke. Then Elsie recovered speech.

"Get out--of--my--room, you--spies!" she stammered in a furious,
rage-choked voice.

"Ah, but it is you who are the great spy!" scornfully exclaimed
Adrienne. "There is no longer the mystery. So you must have listened
often to Ethel and myself as we privately talked. Have you then no shame
to be thus so small--so contemptible?"

"No, I haven't. I----"

Elsie's attempt to brazen things out ended almost as soon as it began.
Her guilty, shifting gaze had come to rest on Norma's grave, sweet face.
It wore an expression of wondering pity. Elsie turned and bolted
straight for her couch bed. She threw herself downward upon it, beating
the pillows with her clenched fists, in a fury of tempestuous chagrin.

"I think we'd best go, girls." It was Norma who spoke. "Alicia will soon
be in. I don't believe we'd care to have even her know about this.
Perhaps it would be just as well for us to forget that it's happened."

This charitable view of the matter brought Elsie's head from the pillow
with a jerk. She sat up and stared hard at Norma, as if unable to credit
the latter's plea for clemency in her behalf.

"I am satisfied to have thus solved a mystery. Now I wish to forget it."
Adrienne made a sweeping gesture