APTER VII

IN THE DORMITORY

After a survey of several minutes of the dark and seemingly innocent
room, the guardian of school discipline seemed satisfied, closed the
door, and her footsteps died away at the end of the hall.

If she could have heard the bursts of smothered laughter as the lights
were turned on and Laura and Bess, almost exhausted by their efforts to
keep up that steady breathing, tumbled from the bed and the others rose
from their hiding places and shook and stretched themselves to get the
cramps out of their limbs!

"That was a close call," gurgled Nan, breathless with suppressed
laughter, while Grace asked chokingly:

"How did you ever do that sleeping act so perfectly and keep it up so
long?"

"Just genius," answered Laura complacently. "I got so in the spirit of
it that I came near snoring."

"Is that so?" scoffed Rhoda. "Strange that we never noticed it before."

"Live and learn," replied Laura, nonchalantly. "The explanation is
simple. Just lack of perception. 'Ye have eyes and ye see not.'"

"For pity's sake, keep still, you two," said Bess. "We have too many
things to talk about to listen to repartee, even to such brilliant
specimens."

"Snubbed!" groaned Laura, as she lifted the last bonbon from the box.

"Here, greedy," said Rhoda. "I saw that candy first."

"Well, I ate it first," grinned Laura tantalizingly.

"Will you girls keep still?" cried Bess despairingly. "I want to find
out what Grace is going to wear."

"Yes, sweetheart," said Rhoda meekly, as she flopped down into the
nearest seat at hand. "That is really a most interesting and
all-important question, and we will come to that anon. But first I want
to remark that I feel as though we had been nearly caught at a regular
spread."

"Spread! Where have I heard that word before?" exclaimed Laura
dramatically. "Isn't it time we had a regular one? I tell you what,
girls, let's celebrate by having a real honest-to-goodness spread.
There's a reason."

"As if you ever needed a reason for having a spread!" laughed Bess. "But
I second the motion."

"I'm expecting a box from home any minute," said Rhoda, "and I'll donate
it to the cause."

"I'll furnish the fruit," Grace offered.

"Dandy!" exclaimed Laura. "Put me down for cocoa and milk and sugar.
Will you supply the sandwiches, Nan?"

"I'm willing to furnish the sandwiches," agreed Nan, a little
doubtfully. "But do you think we'd better have it just now?"

"Oh,