therine at the
gate. If the whole gang of us goes up to the house we will lose time."

"Yes, I want to be back at the Hall for an early dinner. I must study
like sixty this evening, for I won't have a minute tomorrow. Chapel in
the morning, and I have promised to go over to Houghton House tomorrow
afternoon with Leila. Then we are all going to Muriel's and Hortense's
Sunday night spread. Sunday seems the shortest day in the week,"
Marjorie ended with a little regretful gesture.

"I'll be back directly." Coming to the high gate of the ornamental iron
fence which inclosed the professor's property, Katherine clanged it
hurriedly after her and sped up the walk to the house.

True to her word it was not more than ten minutes before she rejoined
them, her handbag swinging from her arm.

"Lillian was so sorry you wouldn't come up. She invited us all to dinner.
I told her we simply must hurry back to the Hall. She----"

A sudden deep rumble of thunder drowned Katherine's speech. It was
followed by a sharp blinding flash of lightning.

"We had better run for it," counseled Jerry. "There will be more thunder
and lightning before the rain really starts. Don't let a little thing
like thunder worry you, children."

By common consent the quartette broke into a gentle run. Soon they were
on the highway and not more than a block from the campus wall. As they
neared the east gate a terrific reverberating peal of thunder rent the
air. So completely did it obliterate all other sound that none of the
four heard the purr of a motor behind them, driven at excessive speed.

"Look out!" A sense of impending danger warning Jerry to turn her head,
even in full flight, her voice rose in a sharp scream.

Her friends heard it dimly as the speeding car bore down upon them.
Jerry made a wild dive out of harm's way, dragging Marjorie, who was
nearest to her, with her. Lucy, who was on the outer edge of the road
made a stumbling step backward. Katherine---- Through a mist of horror
the three girls saw the machine catch her, flinging her off the road.
They heard cries issue from the black and white roadster as it shot down
the road.

"Katherine! Oh, do you suppose she is dead?" Already Lucy was kneeling
on the ground beside the silent form in an agony of suspense. "She was
almost in the middle of the road. I didn't have time to warn her. I
didn't hear it until it ran her down." Lucy's face was white and set.

"Her heart's beating." Marjorie