for breakfast. You've done some sleeping
since ten o'clock last night," called Sally, pounding upon the door of
bedroom A, but getting no response.

Aileen had already knocked and called without eliciting a reply, and both
the girls were worried but tried not to show it. When ten more minutes
passed in silence Aileen looked troubled and asked:

"Do you think she is ill? Ought we to call Miss Stetson?"

"Miss Stetson!" snapped Sally. "If she is ill she would rather see the
old Nick himself than Miss Stetson. I'll run and get Mrs. Bonnell."

In spite of her anxiety Aileen laughed. True enough, Miss Stetson was not
exactly the person to call in when one was ill. "That's true, Mrs.
Bonnell will be the one to call. But I wish Bev _would_ answer. It scares
me almost to death. And I'd like right well to know what happened last
night. Beverly Ashby is not the sort of girl to go up in the air over
nothing, believe me, but she was pretty high up last night. Do go for
Bonny, Sally. I'm too nervous to wait another minute."

"All right," and away sped Sally down the corridor. As she reached the
foot of the stairs she almost ran into Wesley.

"Has yo' heard what done happen las' night, Miss Sally?" he asked
excitedly.

"No. What was it?" asked Sally eagerly.

"Miss Bev'ly's hawse done been stole f'om de stable; saddle, bridle an'
all."

"Never!" cried Sally.

"Yas ma'am, dey done been! Jeff'son yonder in de study a-tellin' Miss
Woodhull 'bout it right dis minute," and Wesley hurried away to the
dining room.

"Apache stolen! Oh----" Sally gasped. She recalled the words which
Beverly had spoken the very first hour of their acquaintance: "It would
take very little to make me light out for Woodbine."

Six months had passed since those words had been spoken, and during those
months Beverly had known some lonely hours as well as happy ones; she had
been made miserable more than once by Miss Bayliss, Miss Stetson and Miss
Woodhull, who seemed to have conceived a most unmerited dislike for the
girl. Sally knew nothing of Miss Woodhull's dislike for Admiral Seldon
because he had presumed to question her policy, nor could a girl of
Sally's sweet nature possibly understand the smallness of one which would
take out upon a defenceless young girl the resentment which she harbored
toward her older relative. Nevertheless, that was precisely the
situation, and Miss Stetson and Miss Bayliss were Miss Woodhull's
mirrors.

Sally soon fo