ay have happened. Take one of the
stable boys with you," Mrs. Baird answered.

"I'd rather have Polly and Lois," Betty said, "if there's anything
wrong."

"Very well, where are they?" Mrs. Baird asked.

"Taking their Latin exams," Betty told her.

"Go and get them. I'll explain to Miss Hale, and, Betty, dear, do make
haste; I'm really worried; the child may have hurt herself somewhere."

Betty hurried to the study hall. She knew it was useless to try to
explain to Miss Hale; so she said: "Mrs. Baird wanted Polly and Lois at
once." They handed in their papers and joined her in the corridor. She
hurried them to their room, and explained on the way.

Fifteen minutes later they had found the track of Maud's snow shoes and
started out to follow it.

Seddon Hall owned over five hundred acres of land and for the most part
it was dense woodland. Trailing through it in winter without snow shoes
was hard work, for the snow drifted even with the high boulders in
places and you were apt to suddenly wade in up to your waist. Maud had
taken the path that went out towards flat rock. This made following her
tracks comparatively easy for the girls.

"What under the sun do you suppose has happened to her?" Polly demanded.

"I don't know," Betty replied; "I wish I knew when she'd started. As
far as I can find out no one has seen her since breakfast."

"Did she have an exam this morning?" Lois inquired.

"No; her class had Latin and she doesn't take it. I'm not awfully
worried," Polly said, suddenly. "I would be if it were any one but Maud.
She's used to much wilder country than this and I can't help feeling
that she's all right somewhere."

"But, where?" Lois demanded. "If she were all right and hadn't hurt
herself she'd have been home by now."

"If she's kept up on top of the hill she can't have come to very great
grief," Betty declared, "but if she's headed down to the river--then,
anything could have happened."

"What do you mean?" Lois asked.

"Why, she might have fallen and broken her leg," Betty explained. "You
know how dangerous those rocks are in winter; she may have stepped
between two of them and gotten caught."

"Don't," Lois protested, with a shudder.

They trudged on for a quarter of a mile in silence, then the trail
turned suddenly to the right.

"She's gone toward the apple orchard, thank goodness!" Betty exclaimed.

"Do you suppose she's gone round by way of the bridge and home?" Lois
asked, stoppin