ut she is not in it with me as
far as running is concerned," was Kathleen's thought.

Alice came up as far as the tree; she paused a minute and looked around
her. Kathleen in the gray darkness looked down at her. Kathleen's face
was completely in the shadow, but the light fell full on Alice's, and
her face, white and anxious, almost made the other girl laugh.

"If the situation wasn't quite so tremendous I could enjoy this," she
thought.

Presently Alice ran down the passage. Kathleen waited until her
footsteps had died away, and then she descended from the oak-tree. She
flew as fast as she could the long way to the railway station.

"Alice can't think that I want to go by train," thought Kathleen.

Now she was truly a very swift runner, but as she was running to-night,
whom should she meet but Mrs. Hopkins. Mrs. Hopkins was on her way home
after doing a little shopping on her own account. She saw Kathleen,
observed her panting for breath, and stood directly in her path.

"Miss O'Hara," she said, "can I speak to you for a moment? It is
something very particular indeed. I am very thankful I happened to meet
you."

"I will see you to-morrow--to-morrow," panted Kathleen. "I am in a great
hurry. To-morrow, Mrs. Hopkins."

"No, Miss O'Hara; it ought to be to-night. You are going to the railway
station, aren't you, miss?"

Kathleen felt inclined to knock that interfering woman down. She darted
to one side of the road.

"Oh, let me pass!" she said. She was shaking with her quick run. She
knew the moments were flying; already she heard the bell at the station
ring. The train for London was signaled; she had not an instant to lose.

"Don't--don't keep me," she said.

"But you mustn't go, miss; it would be madness--wicked. You musn't; you
daren't."

Kathleen pushed past her. This time Mrs. Hopkins had no power to stop
her. She rushed on, reached the station, flew up the steps, and found
herself on the platform just as the train was coming in.

Instead of the forty girls she expected to meet, she saw not more than
about half-a-dozen. They all crowded up to her at once.

"I have got your ticket for you," said Susy. "I was just able to screw
out the money to get one for you and myself. Here's the train; let us
hop in at once."

"But where are all the others--the forty?" gasped Kathleen.

"They funked it, almost all of them. Oh! come along; here's the train."

The great train thundered into the station. The girl