ed, "I want to ask you something."

She was just about to tell Rose the plans and invite her to the party
when the door opened again and Amanda entered with Eliza Dilks. Amanda
was never seen without Eliza trailing along in the background, and for
this reason the girls had nicknamed the latter, "The Shadow."

By this time the girls at Three Towers Hall had learned to dislike the
two sneaks as much as the girls of North Bend disliked Amanda.

Wherever anything was going on, especially of a secret nature, Amanda
and "The Shadow" were sure to be prying about, saying mean little
things, forcing the girls to move over to some other place where they
could be private for a little while.

And now here they were again!

"What do you want?" asked Rose, not noticing the two who had come in
after her. Rose's voice was not very pleasant, for she was beginning to
show her growing dislike of Billie openly.

"Nothing just now," Billie answered, looking behind Rose to where Amanda
and "The Shadow" stood, apparently talking together, yet listening to
every word that was being said. "I'll tell you later."

Amanda looked up and her mean little eyes twinkled angrily.

"Don't mind us," she said. "If we're in the way, of course we'll get
out. Come on, Eliza," and with their noses in the air she and "The
Shadow" sailed out of the room.

"Some day I'm going to kill 'em," said Laura, glaring ferociously at the
closed door.

"Go on. What were you going to tell me?" drawled Rose, turning to the
mirror and eyeing her pretty reflection with satisfaction.

"You'd better not say anything, Billie," Nellie Bane warned her.
"They're probably listening at the keyhole or something."

"It must be horrid to hate everybody and have everybody hate you," mused
Connie, smoothing back her pretty hair.

"But they seem to hate Billie most of all," said Vi. "I'm sure I don't
know why. It's because she's so popular, I suppose."

Then to Rose, still fussing with her hair before the mirror, came the
dawn of an idea. It would be hard to do anything to hurt Billie herself,
for, whatever her faults, Rose was not a sneak. But she might make use
of Amanda----

It was several days later--the day that had been set for the greatest of
all adventures, a midnight feast in the dormitory.

It was Billie who had arranged it all, and although the feast itself was
by no means a new idea, she had thought up something to make it a little
more interesting and daring.