“Miss Scott, you and Miss Kidder occupy the same tent with the two girls who have just given their evidence.  Did you hear any unusual noises in the tent last evening?”

“Yes, I did, Mrs. Livingston.”

“Explain what you heard?”

“I don’t know that I can explain it clearly.  At first I thought I heard the shuffle of feet on the floor.  I was very tired and sleepy.  I recall that I partly roused myself.  I thought I heard some one speak in a low tone, but supposing it was in the next tent I dropped back to sleep again.  I did not hear another sound until the general alarm was sounded on the bell.”

“You hurried out without knowing that your two tentmates were missing?”

“No, I did not know about it then.  I did not know until I saw them out there in the woods.”

“Thank you.  That will be all.”

Cora Kidder was next called upon to testify.  She was very pale and plainly nervous.  She realized that having slept in the same tent with two of the Meadow-Brook Girls, a certain amount of suspicion would be attached to her not knowing anything about the exciting occurrence of the previous night in her tent.  In answer to the first question which was the same as had been put to Patricia, Miss Kidder said: 

“I did not wake up, Mrs. Livingston.  I—­I may have heard something, but if so I—­I don’t remember anything about it now.”

“You must be a sound sleeper,” observed the Chief Guardian.

“I have been since coming to Camp Wau-Wau.  I’m just ‘dead,’ the moment I get into bed.  I was hardly awake when I stumbled out of the tent in response to the general alarm last night calling us all out.  I fell over a tent rope and that woke me up a little.”

Tommy laughed, but fortunately the examiner did not hear her.  Harriet nudged Grace to warn her to be quiet.

“You have no idea that would give you any clue to the perpetrators of this affair?”

“No, Mrs. Livingston.”

“Is there any other person among the girls who has anything to say or who can give us any information?”

The silence was tense.  The Chief Guardian’s eyes traveled slowly over the group before her.  No one answered.

“That will be sufficient, Miss Kidder.  The guardians will please join me for consultation.”

The Wau-Wau Girls spent an anxious few moments while the conference was going on.  Finally, the guardians resumed their places.  Mrs. Livingston stood facing them again.

“In view of all the facts which we have in our possession, the guardians have been able to arrive at a conclusion regarding the six girls who have confessed.  Naturally we can take no action in the case of the others, not knowing who they are.  We believe that while the six girls are deserving of dismissal, they were influenced by a spirit of fun, rather than of malice, therefore the question as to whether they shall be dismissed or not shall be put to a vote of the Wau-Wau Girls themselves.  All in favor of adopting some other method of punishment please rise.”