“Aw—­you know what I mean,” said the boy, grinning.  “Don’t depend on a fur piece around your neck and a muff to keep the rest of you warm.  Us fellows have all got Mackinaws and boots and such things.  And we’ll want ’em.”

And so they excitedly made their plans.  At least, six of them did while Timothy and Libbie bent their minds upon the book.  One thing about those two young romanticists, they agreed to the plans the others made and were quite docile.

At ten Timothy and the Tucker twins went home and the others went cheerfully up to bed.  While Betty Gordon remained at Fairfields Bobby insisted on sharing her own room with her.  They were never separated at Shadyside, so why should they be here?

When she was half undressed Betty suddenly went down on her knees before the tall chiffonier and opened the lower drawer.  She dug under everything in the drawer until she came to her handbag, and drew it forth.

“I declare!” chuckled Bobby, “I thought you were digging a new burrow like a homeless rabbit.  What did you forget?”

“Didn’t forget anything,” responded Betty, smiling up at her friend.  “I remembered something.”

“Oh!”

“My locket.  Uncle Dick’s present.  I wanted to see that it was safe.”

“Goodness!  Do you carry it in your bag?”

“I’ve got a lovely chain at Shadyside, you know.  I told Uncle Dick not to buy a chain.  And I don’t believe Mrs. Eustice will object to a simple little locket like mine, will she?”

“M-m-m!  I don’t know,” replied Bobby.  “You know she is awfully opposed to us girls wearing jewelry.  And your locket is lovely.  Just think!  Platinum and a real diamond.  Why! what is the matter, Betty?”

For Betty had begun scrambling in her bag worse than she had in the bureau drawer.  Everything came out—­purse, tickets, gloves, handkerchief, the tiniest little looking-glass, a letter or two, a silver thimble, two coughdrops stuck together, a sample of ribbon which she had failed to match, a most disreputable looking piece of lead-pencil——­

But no twist of tissue paper with the locket in it!

“What is the matter?” repeated Bobby, frightened by the expression of the other girl’s face.

“I—­I——­Oh, Bobby!  It’s gone!” wailed Betty.

“Not your locket?”

“Yes, my locket!” sobbed Betty, and she sat down on the floor and wept.

“Why, it can’t be!  Who would take it?  When did you see it last?  Nobody here in the house would have stolen it, Betty.”

“It—­it must have dropped out of my bag.  Oh! what shall I do?  I can’t tell Uncle Dick.”

“He won’t punish you for losing it, will he?”

“But think how he’ll feel!  And how I’ll feel!” wailed Betty.  “He advised me to put it somewhere for safe keeping until I got my chain.  And I wouldn’t.  I—­I wanted it with me.”

“You should have put it downstairs in daddy’s safe,” said Bobby thoughtfully.