When Miriam reached home she immediately asked if David had come in.  Receiving an affirmative reply, she went from room to room looking for him, and finally found him in the library.  He was busy with a book on aviation.  She snatched the book from him, threw it across the room and expressed her opinion of himself and his friends in very plain terms.  Without a word David picked up his book and walked out of the library, leaving her in full possession of the field.

CHAPTER V

ON THE EVE OF BATTLE

But little time remained before the first basketball game of the series between the sophomores and juniors.  Both teams had been untiring in their practice.  There had been no further altercations between them as to the use of the gymnasium, for the juniors, fearing the wrath of Miss Thompson, were more circumspect in their behavior, and let the sophomore team strictly alone.

“They are liable to break out at any time, you can trust them just as far as you can see them and no farther, and that’s the truth,” cried Nora O’Malley.  The sophomore players were standing in the corridor outside the gymnasium awaiting the pleasure of the juniors, whose practice time was up.

“They are supposed to be out of here at four o’clock,” continued Nora, “and it’s fifteen minutes past four now.  They are loitering on purpose They don’t dare to do mean things openly since Miss Thompson lectured them so, but they make up for it by being aggravating.”

“Never mind, Nora,” said Grace, smiling at Nora’s outburst.  “We’ll whip them off the face of the earth next Saturday.”

“Well, I hope so,” said Nora, “I am sure we are better players.”

“What outrageous conceit,” said Jessica, and the four girls laughed merrily.

“By the way, Grace,” said Anne, “I want to ask you something about that list you gave me.  I don’t quite understand what one of those signals means.”

“Trot it out,” said Grace.  “I’ll have time to tell you about it before the practice actually begins.”

Anne took out her purse and began searching for the list.  It was not to be found.

“Why, how strange,” she said.  “I was looking at it this morning on the way to school.  I wonder if I have lost it.  That would be dreadful.”

She turned her purse upside down, shaking it energetically, but no list fell out.

“Oh, never mind,” said Grace, seeing Anne’s distress.  “It’s of no consequence.  No one will ever find it anyway.  Suppose it were found, who would know what it meant?”

“Yes, but one would know,” persisted Anne, “because I wrote ’Sophomore basketball signals’ on the outside of it.  Oh, dear, I don’t see how I could have been so careless.”

“Poor little Anne,” said Jessica, “she is always worried over something or other.”

“Now see here, Anne,” said Grace, “just because you lost a letter last term and had trouble over it, don’t begin to mourn over those old signals.  No one will ever see them, and perhaps you haven’t lost them.  Maybe you’ll find them at home.”