nted to be sure first that her
plans would go through all right.

"When I do spring things," she said, "I'll square up all accounts."

Cora sulked, but had to submit.

Several days later, as Nan and Bess were studying in their room, Bess
wrote the final word in a French translation with a sigh of relief.

"Didn't you say once, Nan," she queried, "that you had somewhere a book
of model French conversations?"

"Yes," answered Nan, looking up from her work. "Do you want it?"

"I'd like it ever so much," Bess answered. "I think it would help me
with these wretched idioms that puzzle me so. Could you get it for me?"

"Surely, Bess," assented Nan, with obliging readiness. "It's down in my
trunk. I'll go right down to the basement to-morrow after we finish our
English recitation at twelve o'clock and get it for you."

"That's a darling, Nan," returned Bess gratefully. "I know it will help
me heaps."

During this conversation their door had been standing open, and Linda
Riggs, who was passing (she made occasion often to pass Nan's door),
heard every word. An exultant look came into her face, and she hurried
off to find Cora. She told her eagerly that at last she knew just how
and when she was going to get even with that much-hated Nan Sherwood.

"What are you going to do?" asked Cora, excited and yet a little fearful
of any scheme that Linda might hatch.

"I'm going to give her the scare of her life," replied Linda. "The idea
came to me the other day when I was in the trunk room in the basement.
The steam started to blow off with such a whistle close to my ears that
it made me almost jump out of my skin. I feel sure that if the steam can
only be held down for a little while and then go off with a rush it will
be ten times louder. If that could be made to happen just as Sherwood
was going past, it would scare her out of a year's growth. She'd think
her last hour had come. The trouble has been that I never knew just when
she'd be there. But I know now. I just heard her say. She's in for the
biggest fright of her life. How does it strike you?"

"It sounds all right," answered Cora slowly. "But how are you going to
do it?"

"Easily," said Linda, with a confident ring in her voice. "After the
janitor has fixed up the fires for the day to-morrow morning he'll not
be in the basement. I'll slip down before Sherwood is due to get there
and tie down the valve. That'll keep the steam confined and make the
shriek that much l