“You’re a baby,” one said.  “And you nearly spoiled it all this afternoon.”

“I never thought it would be this way.  I’m so sorry I—­” said the second voice.

“Goodness sake, stop whimperin’.  Aren’t you satisfied?  Hush, there’s someone on the bench.”

“Shirley and Sarah,” whispered Jane in Judith’s ear.

But the two figures on the path had turned, and were now lost in the darkness along the lonely hedged-in walk.

“Imagine!” said Judith indignantly.  “Those two little freshmen away over here instead of being at their books!”

“And did you notice Shirley was blaming little Sarah for whimpering?  I tell you, Judith, there is something queer about that Shirley.  She has money yet she came in on a scholarship.  Then, there was the registered package of jewelry that brought disaster upon you and the messenger boy, Tim.  He said it was addressed to Sarah.  She surely shows a woeful lack of luxury, yet someone was sending her jewelry.”

“And Dol Vin was receiving their mail, including the box,” Judith summed up.

“I am sure it was Sarah I heard sobbing in that back room,” insisted Jane.

“There are the girls looking for us.  We will have to plead headaches and need of fresh air, for you know I promised them the real story of my incarceration,” sighed Judith, following Jane’s lead toward the group of searchers who came down the path calling and whistling for Jane and Judith.

“Do tell it to them, they have been so splendid,” pleaded Jane.  “Besides, we have a night’s work before us if we can escape on the ghost hunt, and a good yarn will do a lot to settle all our nerves.  Remember, you are not to come unless you simply can’t stay in bed, and if you remain in our building you may be able to allay suspicion when Fairlie comes snooping.  ’Lo girls!” to the whistlers.  “Here we are!  Judy needed the air.”

With an all star cast and such headliners as were scheduled for Jane and her constituents on that particular night, it was not easy to anticipate the outcome.  If the ghosts would only do their part and appear on time!

CHAPTER XI

A TWICE TOLD TALE

Judith tried to beg off on her story of the great adventure, but the girls were insistent.  “Just tell us what happened when you got inside the Beauty Shop,” begged Velma, who had secret dreams of C. O. D. dimples and longed to hear of such possibilities.

“It was like a screen comedy,” replied Judith, who had been beautifully pillowed up and otherwise made comfortable on Janet’s solo-couch.  The audience was scattered around on cushions, on the floor, on chairs, and even on the one narrow window sill.  Queening it from her pillows Judith looked quite Romanesque, with Jane perched on a cretonne pedestal above the divan’s level, waving her riding crop regally.  The pedestal really was a specially favored trunk of Jane’s which had escaped storage quarters and served many useful and practical purposes, the present being one in point.