ook A 1," purred Betty.

"How are we going to open the tin of condensed milk?" asked Sylvia.

"It's one of those tins you prise up," said Marjorie jauntily. "Give it
to me. A penny's the best weapon. Here you are! Quite easy."

"Yes, but there's another lid underneath. You're not at the milk yet."

Marjorie's feathers began to fall. She was not quite as clever as she
had thought.

"Here, I'll do it," said Betty, snatching the tin. "Take down a picture
and pull the nail out of the wall, and give me a boot to hammer with.
You've to go through this arrow point and then the thing prises up.
Steady! Here we are!"

"Cave! Renie's coming. Stick the things away!"

Marjorie hastily seized the feast, and bestowed it inside her wardrobe.
Thanks to the drawn curtains of her cubicle Irene had not obtained even
a glimpse.

"What are you three doing inside there?" she asked curiously, but no one
would tell. The secret was not to be given away too soon.

The conspirators had decided that it would be wiser not to ask any other
girls to join the party, but to keep the affair entirely to their own
dormitory.

"They'll make such a noise if we have them in, and it will wake the Acid
Drop and bring her down upon us," said Sylvia.

"Besides which, it's only a small cake and wouldn't go round," stated
Betty practically.

Irene went to bed in a fit of the blues. Only half her presents had
turned up, and two of her aunts had not written to her.

"It's been a rotten birthday," she groaned. "I knew it would be hateful
having it at school. Why wasn't I born in the holidays? There ought to
be a law regulating births to certain times of the year. If I were head
of a school I'd let every girl go home for her birthday. Don't speak to
me! I feel scratchy!"

Her room-mates chuckled, and for the present left her alone. Sylvia
began to sing a song about tears turning to smiles and sorrow to joy,
until Irene begged her to stop.

"It's the limit to-night! When I'm blue the one thing I can't stand is
anybody trying to cheer me up. It gets on my nerves!"

"Sleep it off, old sport!" laughed Marjorie. "I don't mind betting that
when you wake up you'll feel in a very different frame of mind."

At which remark the others spluttered.

"You'll find illumination, in fact," hinnied Betty.

"I think you're all most unkind!" quavered Irene.

The confederates had decided to wait until the magic hour of midnight
before they began their beano. They