CHAPTER XVI
GHOSTS
"Do you think you passed?" asked Betty, joining Angela and Polly in theschoolroom corridor. It was the third day of examination week and theFreshmen had just finished the Literature exam.
"I hope so," Polly answered. "It was awfully fair, don't you think?"
"Yes; but tell me one thing," Angela insisted, coming to a standstilland putting her hands on Betty's shoulder. "What did you say for thehint that Portia gave Bassanio about the caskets?"
"Why, the song--'Tell me where is fancy bred, in the heart or in thehead?'" Betty answered.
"Don't you see" (Polly took up the explanation), "bred and head and allthe other lines ended in a word that rimed with lead, and Portia hopedthat Bassanio would think of that and choose the right casket."
"Too deep for me. I do remember, now, Miss Porter saying something aboutit, but I skipped that question," replied Angela. "Still, I think Ipassed."
They were on their way to Polly's room, but before they reached herdoor, Lois overtook them.
"Horrible news!" she announced. "Latin exam. this afternoon instead oftomorrow!"
"It can't be. How do you know?" demanded Betty.
"Saw it posted on the bulletin board."
"That woman's a fiend," Polly groaned. "I intended cramming this wholeafternoon, and now what's to be done?"
"Anything particular you want to know?" Angela inquired. "Perhaps I canhelp you out a bit."
"No, there's no use; you'd have to begin from the very beginning,"replied Polly, looking disconsolately out of the window at the gloriousspring day.
Betty ruffled her hair and frowned.
"Something ought to be done to rile the Spartan," she said. "What shallit be?"
"She knows most of us will flunk," remarked Lois. "I suppose she'll bebeastly sarcastic."
Angela, who had been curled up on the window seat and had apparentlybeen paying no attention to the conversation, suddenly remarked:
"Give me a pencil, some one. I've an idea; it's not very clever, but itmay annoy the Spartan."
"What is it?" they all demanded.
But Angela refused to tell. She got up, stretched lazily, and without aword to any one, left the room. In a few minutes she was back, wearing athoroughly satisfied smile.
"Please tell us where you've been," teased Betty. "I'm bursting withcuriosity."
"Why, I've been to the bulletin board. I wrote a little note to theSpartan."
That was quite enough for the girls. They flew over to the study hallcorridor and crowded around the board. There at the end of the notice ofthe Latin examination, written in a big round hand, were the words:
"I came, I saw, I looked, I ran, I flew, I flunked!"
"Oh, that's too lovely for words!" gloated Lois. "Angela darling, I'lllove you forever."
"Come on back to my room," urged Polly. "We don't want the Spartan tosee us here; she'll know who did it."
"You're right; we had better fly. But O Jemima, wouldn't I love to watchher face when she first sees it!" chuckled Betty.
Once back in Polly's room the girls lapsed into silence and all openedLatin books, which doesn't mean, however, that they studied. Betty waswondering what particular chapter Miss Hale would choose fortranslation; Angela's thoughts were busy with a possible rhyme about thehard-heartedness of the Spartan, and Lois and Polly were thinking of thepromised walk with Louise, which would have to be given up.
It was Connie who interrupted their thoughts by banging on the door.
"May I come in?" she called.
"Yes; we are all in the depths of despair, but you may come in if youwant to," Polly called dolefully.
"Sweet fight going on in Senior Alley," Connie began after she hadentered the room. "I've been down there ever since I came out of theexam, and I heard all about it."
"Well, for goodness' sake, tell us what's the matter," demanded Angela.
"Don't be impatient, I'm going to. Listen: Agnes Green," Conniecommenced (Agnes was one of the Seniors and the kind of girl who alwayshad a grudge against some one), "is furious at Louise; you know shealways has disliked her because Lu didn't put her on the team. Well, itseems that the Senior class is divided as to whether or not they shouldwear white shoes on Commencement. Louise wants to and Agnes doesn't."
"Of course she doesn't," Polly interrupted angrily. "That girl woulddisagree with her own shadow! But go on."
"That's about all I know," resumed Connie. "Agnes railed at Louise; saidshe had always influenced the class the wrong way; was unfair, and Idon't know what. When I left, Louise was in tears."
Connie stopped for breath and then began again.
"And here's another little bit of news, which will make you love Agnessome more: it seems that her brother and a friend of his from collegeare coming up here to see her tomorrow. You know the Latin examinationswere fixed for then, so what does dear Agnes do but ask the Spartan tochange the time so that she can chaperon her and brother and brother'sfriend on a nice long drive. Naturally the Spartan jumped at the ideaand arranged to give all her exams this very afternoon. Now just what doyou think of that?" she finished, flourishing her arms in the air.
The girls were speechless with rage. Finally Betty managed to say:
"Of course we knew about it; that's what we've been holding anindignation meeting over, but we didn't know whose fault it was."
"Well, you know it now," replied Connie, "and I know that I have to goand study; so long, everybody."
"I suppose I'd better, too," sighed Betty. "Come and help me, Angela.Jove! I hope it pours rain tomorrow and that Agnes and the Spartan bothget drowned!" And Betty, having given vent to her feelings, left theroom, taking Angela with her.
Lois and Polly, left alone, faced each other, all thoughts of Latinforgotten.
"What's to be done?" Polly demanded.
"I don't know," Lois answered. "We can't do much, but I would likeLouise to know how we feel about it."
"We have time to pick her some violets and send them up to her beforeluncheon," Polly suggested.
"That's a good idea; she'll understand from that."
The violets were soon gathered and a willing Sophomore was found todeliver them.
When Lois and Polly saw the rest of their class again, they were atluncheon, and Lois asked:
"How did you get on with your cramming, Bet?"
"Oh, don't! My poor brain is in a dreadful whirl," groaned Betty. "Butdid you see the bulletin board?" she added.
"Why? Has the time for the exam been changed again?"
"No, but the Spartan has put up a new notice. Isn't that a scream?" AndBetty chuckled gleefully.
"That is funny," agreed Lois, "but I do hope some of the girls sawAngela's note before it was taken down."
"They did all right; there was a crowd standing in front of it, howlingwith laughter, when the Spartan arrived. Dot Mead was there and she toldme. Oh, the Spartan's in a sweet rage!" Betty assured them.
"Nothing to what she'll be in when she sees my paper," spoke up Connie."Ah, me, we can't do more than flunk. If I could only have had thisafternoon to study! Drat Agnes Green!"
Lois and Polly exchanged glances and the conversation changed to othersubjects.
The much-talked-of and dreaded Latin exam, was not nearly so terribleafter all. Although Miss Hale was a very disagreeable person, she wasalso a very good teacher, and the girls found the answers to thequestions much more easily than they had expected.
Lois and Polly handed in their papers about the same time. A few minuteslater they met in the corridor, and with a sigh of relief joined armsand sauntered off in the direction of their rooms. Polly said:
"Lois, I've an idea--about Agnes, I mean; I've been thinking it out allthe time I was taking the exam, and I've thought of a plan."
"What is it?" questioned Lois. "I couldn't think of a thing exceptkilling her, and that wouldn't do. Did you see Louise smile at us atluncheon? Bless her heart!"
"Yes, but listen," P
olly insisted. "Here's my plan. Tonight, after theSenior 'lights out' bell, we are going down the fire escape and get onthe roof of the porch. Agnes' room is the second from the end, and Ihappen to know she leaves her window down from the top. We will knockgently--"
"But she's sure to know it's some of the girls," interrupted Lois. "Noone ever thinks of burglars up here."
"I don't want her to think of burglars," Polly replied solemnly. "I wanther to think of ghosts."
"Oh, I see. We're going to play spooks. What a lark! But how are we todo it?"
"I haven't quite decided about the details, but I will before tonight.Lo, I'm going to give that girl the scare of her life!"
And Polly kept her word. That night at 10.15 the Seniors were awakenedby a scream of terror from Agnes Green's room. She said she had seen aghost. As the girls were trying to assure her, two figures in long capeswere softly stealing back up the fire escape.
"I tell you it _was_ ghosts!" Agnes insisted, in tears. "It had fourarms, long white ones, and it waved them and moaned." And she coveredher head with the blankets and shivered at the thought.
Upstairs the two figures had reached Lois' room.
"I hope she doesn't die of fright," whispered one.
"So do I, but I hope she's good and scared. That was a splendid idea ofyours to wear those long-sleeved kimonos," answered the other.
"Good night," said the first, and slipped out to her own room.
"Good night," replied the second. "Louise and Latin are both avenged."
The next morning Agnes stayed in bed for breakfast, and the Seniors saidshe had had a nightmare, and it had made her very nervous.
Polly and Lois were rather heavy-eyed and kept exchanging glances.
Of course no one suspected them of having anything to do with Agnes'dream, that is, no one except Louise. She met them in the corridor afterbreakfast and whispered very softly:
"Thank you for my beautiful violets and 'the ghost.' I understood and Ithink you're both darlings!"
That was all they ever heard on the subject.
Agnes' brother and his friend arrived, and with the Spartan forchaperon, they went for a drive, but Agnes said she didn't enjoy it asmuch as she had expected to, she was so dreadfully upset.