Alice Fern kept well in the background while her mother and father and elder sister entertained the senior class of Wellington. She had done her duty by the lunch and she was not going to mingle in this crowd of unknowns.
"I never could bear a college romp," she had said to her mother who had remonstrated with her daughter.
"I trust you don't call your mother a college romp," answered the old lady indignantly.
"Not at all, Mama. You belonged to the early days of Wellington before romps came into existence," Alice replied sharply.
"I'm sure you may have to see a great deal of college, if----" began Mrs. Fern, and broke off abruptly.
"If--if----" she thought. "How I detest that word."
On the way back that afternoon the old Queen's girls held a council of war.
"I think we ought to make it our business to find out who played this trick on us," cried Margaret, "if it takes detective work to do it. Our dignity as seniors has been attacked and the standards of Wellington lowered."
"I don't believe any juniors had a hand in it," put in Judy, "because we are so friendly with them."
"She's afraid somebody's going to blame that charming Adele," she whispered.
"If it's any of the Wellington girls, it's more likely to be among the sophomores," announced Edith decisively. "They were rather a wild lot last year but we were too busy to notice them; a good deal like a gang of bad boys in their own set; always playing practical jokes----"
"Yes, but would they dare play jokes on us?" interrupted Margaret.
"They'd dare do anything," answered Edith. "Anne White is the ringleader. I only know her by sight so I can't judge of her character, but I heard that Miss Walker had her on the grill several times last winter."
"What does she look like?" some one asked.
"Why, she's as demure as anything; a petite, brown-haired, inconspicuous little person. You'd never suspect her of being so daring, but I happen to know of one reckless performance of hers that Prexy hasn't heard of."
"Do tell," they demanded with breathless curiosity.
"You'll let it go no farther? Word of honor, now?"
"Word of honor," they repeated in a chorus.
"One night last spring she let herself down from the dormitory with a rope ladder and went--well, I don't know where she went, but she got back safely enough----"