The last bell was three minutes late in ringing. Betty knew it was, because she had watched the clock tick out each one with growing impatience. When it did ring at last, she threw her latín book into her desk, banged down the lid, and gave vent to her favorite exclamation.

“Jemima! Thank goodness that’s over.” She went to the window and looked out.

A heavy snow had been falling all morning, and the grounds of Seddon Hall were sufficiently covered to assure good coasting.

Polly finished the last couple of sentences of her latín prose with little or no regard to the context and joined Betty.

“Looks bully, doesn’t it?” she asked. “I hope it stays long enough to pack.”

“It’s wonderful,” Betty agreed, “but don’t let’s stand and look at it any longer. Come on out, quick.”

“Coming, Lo?” Polly inquired, stopping beside Lois’ desk.

“No, not just yet. I’ve got to speak to Miss Crosby, over in the studio. Don’t wait for me. I’ll come as soon as I can,” she promised. As she saw Polly’s look of disapproval, adding by way of apology, “I simply must finish that sketch, Poll. It won’t take long.”

So Polly and Betty left her and went out together. They found their sleds from the year before, in the gym cellar, and pulled them to the top of the hill.

The snow had drifted into the road, and was so deep that the coasting was slow at first.

“Let’s wait awhile,” Betty suggested, “until the other girls have packed it down a little; this is no fun.”

“All right, let’s take a walk. I wish I knew how to snowshoe,” Polly said as she sank to her knees in a drift.

“When’s that friend of yours coming?” Betty inquired, as they started off towards the pond.

“Who, Maud? I don’t know, sometime soon. We’ve got to be good to her, Bet. She’s really all right in some ways.”

“I remember her only that first summer,” Betty said thoughtfully. “She didn’t make much of an impression then.”

“Did you ever see her ride?” Polly demanded. “We used to go out in the back pasture and try and tame a couple of colts we had. Maud was a wonder. Perhaps Mrs. Baird knows when she’s coming.”

“Let’s go ask her.” Betty turned back toward the school. “My feet are soaked anyway.”

Mrs. Baird was standing on the Senior porch when they came up the drive. She called to them.

“Did Jane find you?” she asked, as they reached the steps. “I sent her to look for you.”

Polly laughed. “Why no,” she said surprised. “We were just coming to find you.”

“What about?” Mrs. Baird put an arm around each girl. “Come inside, first,” she said, shivering, for she was without hat or coat.

“Perhaps it was about the same thing,” Betty said. They followed her into the office and Polly asked:

“Have you heard anything from Mrs. Banks? We’re wondering when Maud is coming.”

“To-morrow, and I meant to tell you and Lois, but it slipped my mind,” Mrs. Baird told her.

“Then you wanted us for something else?” Betty asked.

Mrs. Baird walked over and looked out of the window.

“Yes,” she said, hesitating. “I am worried about the coasting this year. We have so many new girls and I don’t want any accidents. Of course I couldn’t forbid them to coast, so I thought up a scheme. You two girls have been here for a long time and know all about the hill. By the way, where’s Lois?” she asked abruptly.

“Up in the studio,” Polly said with a shrug of her shoulders, which meant to convey the idea that Lois had taken up her permanent abode there.

Mrs. Baird frowned. “She must not work so hard,” she said, finally. “She should be out on such a glorious day. I’ll speak to her about it.”

“Oh, she’ll come out in a little while,” Betty hastened to say. “She’s just talking to Miss Crosby.”

“Oh, well! I’ll leave you two to see that she does,” Mrs. Baird said severely. “And now, about the coasting. I want you three girls, and any of the other Seniors, of course,” she added, on second thought “to watch every new girl go down the hill once, then if she is really not fit to coast, you must tell her. I’ll leave the decision to you.”

“You mean that if we don’t think they really know enough about it, that we are to tell them they must keep off the big hill?” Polly asked. The idea struck her as a very good one new girls were always a nuisance at first but she wished the decision had been left to some one else.

“They can use the little hill, can’t they?” Betty asked. “No one could hurt themselves on that.”

Mrs. Baird nodded her head. “That I leave to you; you’re much the better judge. Only do make haste, I am so afraid some one will be hurt. I saw little Phylis Guile almost run into a tree.”

Polly and Betty promised to start at once. They went up to the studio and made Lois put away her brushes and join them. Then they told the Dorothys and Evelin and Mildred. Polly stationed them along the hill Betty at the top, to judge of the start the others along the way, while she and Lois watched the curve at the end.

They stayed at their posts all the afternoon, every now and then jotting down some girl’s name and quietly telling them that they would have to do the rest of their coasting on the little hill. Sometimes they met with protests, but, for the most part their Senior dignity upheld them.

“What under the sun will we do about Jane and Phylis?” Polly asked. “They’ll kill themselves if they go down again, and if we just tell them they can’t it will break their hearts.”

Lois considered. “I’ve got it. We’ll make it seem a favor to us.”

“But how?” Polly demanded, as the two younger girls came flying recklessly around the turn.

“Leave that to me,” Lois whispered. “Oh, Jane, will you and Phylis come here a minute? Polly and I have the greatest favor to ask of you. I wonder if you’ll help us out?” she asked.

“Of course we will,” they answered promptly. “We’ll do anything.”

Lois felt like a hypocrite, but she went on to explain:

“It’s about coasting,” she said. “You see, Mrs. Baird has asked us to tell all the new girls that are not used to such a dangerous hill, that they must coast on the small hill by the pond. Of course some of them are not even able to do that, and they ought to be watched.” Lois stopped took a long breath and looked appealingly at Polly.

“We thought you might be willing to go over and coast there, and sort of keep an eye out that no one is hurt,” Polly said, coming to her rescue. “We’ll be so busy here.”

“Why we’d love to,” Jane said eagerly.

“We don’t mind a bit,” Phylis protested. “Are we to tell them to stop if we see any one that’s reckless?”

“Mercy! No!” Lois exclaimed. She had a sudden vision of these two youngsters using their authority at every possible excuse. “That would hurt their feelings. Just use lots of tact and perhaps show them what to do, but not in a in a

“I know,” laughed Jane. “You mean don’t be fresh the way we were to Fanny. We won’t.”

“Oh,” Polly sighed when they had hurried off. “What a wonder you are, Lois, and they really will help.”

“Of course they will. Good gracious! Here comes Fanny.”

From where they stood they could see the long stretch of the hill, just before the curve. Fanny, sitting bolt upright, an unforgivable sin in Polly’s eyes was whirling down it. She had apparently lost all control of her sled. Polly and Lois held their breath.

On one side of the curve, a big rock jutted out at right angles to the road, and on the other a cobble stone gutter offered almost as dangerous an alternative. Fortunately, Fanny, or rather Fanny’s sled, chose the latter. There was a second of flying snow mixed up somehow with Fanny’s arms and legs, and then quiet. Polly and Lois dashed to the spot.

“Are you hurt?” Lois demanded.

Fanny sat up. “Well I never did,” she said wonderingly. “What do you suppose happened to that little old sled?”

Polly’s sudden relief took the form of anger.

“You had no right to try this hill,” she said severely. “Did Betty see you start?”

Fanny stiffened. “Yes, she did if you want to know,” she said. “And she told me not to. But ” She paused to give her words better effect. “Betty and you and Lois are not the only Seniors at this school, though you do act most mighty like you thought you were. I got my permission from the two Dorothys,” she finished with a triumphant toss of her head.

Polly and Lois looked at each other in amazement. Something had come over Fanny of late. They had noticed it, but other matters had made it seem unimportant. She had always been on hand for basket ball practice, but her attitude had been sullen and she had spent most of her time with the Dorothys and Evelin.

Polly realized that this was an important point and must be dealt with. She wasn’t angry at Fanny, for she knew to just what extent her classmates were to blame.

“Did Dot Mead know Betty had told you not to coast on this hill?” she asked finally.

“She certainly did.” Fanny was still triumphant.

Polly bit her underlip and half closed her eyes. Lois saw these unmistakable signs of danger, and tried to make peace.

“Are you sure?” she asked hopefully.

“I am.” Fanny was ridiculously solemn.

“Then the Dorothys went beyond their authority,” Polly said coldly. “And their permission counts for nothing. You can see for yourself that you can’t manage on this hill; you nearly hurt yourself just now.”

“I did no such a thing,” Fanny interrupted lamely. But Polly paid no attention to her.

“As captain of the basket ball team, and Senior head of athletics” the title rolled from her lips importantly “I forbid you to coast on this hill again, no matter who gives you permission,” she said with unmistakable decision. Then, without another word she turned on her heel and went up the hill with Lois.

Half way to the top, they found Betty in heated argument with Dot Mead. Now when Betty was angry she stormed. At this present moment, she was more than angry, she was furious.

“You had no right whatever to do it,” she raged, as Polly and Lois joined them. “You didn’t do it because you thought Fanny really knew how to coast; you just thought it was a good chance to get even with me. You’ve a fine idea of class dignity to do anything so petty. If you ever do a thing like that again Jemima, I’ll You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You’re jealous. That’s

“Steady, Bet,” Polly said quietly, “and do save your breath. Dot can’t do it again. I’ve just told Fanny she must not use this hill and she quite understands.”

“Then we will tell her she can.” Dorothy Lansing spoke for the first time.

Betty and Lois looked at Polly. She picked up the rope of her sled and started up the hill.

“Tell her anything you like,” she said over her shoulder, “but she won’t coast again.”

When the three reached Senior Alley, they met Angela. They were full of indignation and would have told her all about it, but Angela had news too. She greeted them excitedly.

“Girls! what do you think, Connie comes to-night. She’ll be here on the five-eleven. She ’phoned Mrs. Baird from New York. Did you ever hear anything so thrilling? Just imagine Connie back again!”

“For good?” Polly demanded.

“No, just for a visit, she’s going back day after to-morrow.”

“Jemima! I’m glad,” Betty exclaimed. “Won’t it be natural to have her around again?”

“We’ve always missed her,” Lois added. “Can’t we have something special for her to-night?”

“How about a straw ride?” suggested Betty; “Mrs. Baird would let us it’s Friday.”

“Oh, let’s, and just ask the old girls who knew her,” Angela hurried on her drawl for once discarded. “We’ll get Mrs. Baird to chaperone, if we can.”

“I’ll go ask her,” Betty volunteered. “You go get the girls.

“I suppose all the Seniors will go,” Angela said, none too enthusiastically, and Polly and Lois suddenly remembered that she had not heard about the Dorothys. Lois told her.

“Polly just mounted her dignity and oh, Ange, it was rare,” she finished, laughing. “But I suppose they must be asked.”

“Let’s tell Bet she has to do it,” Polly suggested. “She’s so raging at Dot Mead, that she wants to box her ears.”

“You’ll really have to, Ange,” Lois said.

“Not I, you’re Senior president,” Angela protested, adding nonchalantly: “Besides, if I ask, they might accept. Were Evelin and Helen in it?”

“No, they must go to-night; the Senior class must not be divided equally against itself,” Polly said, thoughtfully. “I’ll ask them now, and I’ll make them go.” She went off to find them.

A few minutes before study hour they all met in Study Hall.

“Mrs. Baird says we may go, of course,” Betty began, “and she’s told McDonald to bring around the sleigh at seven-fifteen.”

“Will she chaperone?”

“No, she’s got an awful lot to do. She suggested Miss Crosby. So I asked her. She said she’d love to I’d rather have had Miss Porter, on account of Connie but I didn’t like to say so.”

“Evelin and Mildred will come; they were a little cold at first,” Polly said, “but they’re all right now, and crazy to see Connie.”

“How about the Dorothys, Lo?” Betty demanded.

Lois chuckled wickedly.

“They have made other plans for this evening, and will be unable to go,” she said, sadly. “I didn’t urge them.”

“Good; that leaves about fifteen just the right number for the wagon.” Angela consulted her list. “I’ve got enough crackers and chocolate for everybody,” she added.

“Look at the time!” Betty exclaimed. “Who keeps study hour to-night?”

“The Spartan.”

“Oh, Lordy! Well, I’ll have to be late. Somebody tell her I have Mrs. Baird’s permission, if she misses my smiling face.”

“Where are you going?” Polly asked.

“To get my clothes and take them to the guest room. Mrs. Baird said Connie would sleep with Ange while she’s here. I’m off.”

“Betty, you darling!” Angela exclaimed but Betty was half way down the hall.