There was no reply, and the irate lady, speedily covering the distance between the electric switch and the bedroom door, turned on the light in that room also.
There stood Tweedle-dee.
He had removed his mask and was about to don a long gray automobile coat.
"What are you doing here, Beverly, when I gave explicit orders that no one should leave the gymnasium?" demanded Miss Woodhull, frowning portentously upon the delinquent.
"My costume is so thin I was cold. I came up after my coat, Miss Woodhull," was the smiling answer, spoken quite softly enough to turn away wrath.
"You came in direct disobedience to my orders? You may now remain here for the rest of the evening."
"Oh please, Miss Woodhull, let me go back. They are to have a reel,"
begged her victim.
"No, I have spoken. You will remain in your room."
Without more ado the defrauded one hurled herself into the middle of the bed, buried her head in the immaculate pillows and burst into a paroxysm of sobs.
"You have brought this upon yourself. Had you obeyed me there would have been no occasion for this punishment."
"I was freezing! I just won"t stay stived up here while all the girls are having such fun in the gym. It isn"t fair. I haven"t done a single thing but get this coat," was sobbed from the bed, as a vigorous kick sent the eiderdown cover flying almost in Miss Woodhull"s face. A little more energy would have compa.s.sed it.
Miss Woodhull deigned no reply, but turning swept from the room locking the door behind her. She could deal summarily with rebellious pupils.
Then the search was resumed under her eagle eye, but without results. Not a creature was to be found, and dismissing her followers she returned to the gym to get Miss Stetson"s report.
"Are _all_ the older pupils present?" she asked.
"They are," replied Miss Stetson somewhat icily.
"Excepting Beverly Ashby, of course."
"Beverly Ashby is here. She is standing in the group near the table,"
corrected Miss Stetson with some satisfaction.
"Impossible. I have just this moment locked her in her room for disobedience and insolence. You are mistaken."
"Hardly, as you may convince yourself by merely looking."
Miss Woodhull did look and for a moment felt as though caught in the spell of that mystic night. Beverly Ashby stood laughing and talking with Sally Conant, Aileen and Mrs. Bonnell, as merry a little Tweedle-dum as one could picture. Miss Woodhull caught her eye and motioned her to approach.
"Ye G.o.ds and little fishes," whispered Beverly to Sally as she left the group and went toward Miss Woodhull. That lady"s expression was most forbidding.
"Why are you here?" she demanded icily.
Beverly looked at her innocently as she answered: "I don"t think I quite understand you, Miss Woodhull."
"Not understand me? Is your intellect impaired? Did I not order you to remain in your room for the remainder of this evening?"
"No, Miss Woodhull."
Miss Woodhull turned crimson. Such barefaced audacity was unheard of.
"How did you manage to leave the room, may I inquire?"
"I have not left the room since I entered it at eight o"clock, Miss Woodhull."
"Mrs. Bonnell," called the now thoroughly exasperated princ.i.p.al, "did you see Beverly Ashby return to this gymnasium less than ten minutes ago?"
"Beverly has not been _out_ of it, Miss Woodhull. She has been enjoying her refreshments with the other pupils."
"Ridiculous! Miss Stetson, perhaps _you_ have a clearer idea of facts since I requested you to return to the gymnasium and call the roll. Was Beverly present when you did so?"
"She was standing not ten feet from me, Miss Woodhull. Of this I am positive, because her cap fell from her head as she replied and delayed the response of the girl next on the roll, who stopped to pick it up."
"I believe you are all irresponsible! These silly Hallowe"en customs have turned your heads. I have never approved such inane proceedings. Why you may as well try to convince me that I, myself, did not enter Suite 10, and that I did not speak to Beverly Ashby in it not ten minutes ago, and leave her there in the middle of her bed weeping and conducting herself like a spoiled child because she could not partic.i.p.ate in the closing Virginia Reel. Utter nonsense! Utter nonsense! But we will have no more hoodwinking, rest a.s.sured. There has been quite enough already. You may all go to your rooms reels or no reels. I have experienced enough folly for one night--if not much worse."
For a second there was profound silence, then a general cry of protest arose. To be defrauded of their Virginia Reel for no justifiable reason, and sent to bed before ten o"clock like a lot of naughty children when they really had not done a single thing, was too much.
Petty wept openly. Petty"s griefs, sorrow or joys could invariably find prompt relief in tears or giggles. She existed in a perpetual state of emotion of some sort.
Aileen murmured:
"Look at Miss Stetson"s face. She doesn"t know whether to frown or smile.
She will lose her reason presently."
"Oh, why need the Empress have come in at all. We were having such fun and--" Sally paused significantly.
Beverly nodded a quick comprehension of what the conclusion of Sally"s sentence would have been, and said, under cover of the babel of voices, for even the Empress, stalking along ahead of her rebellious ones could not entirely subdue their protests:
"And I am wondering what we shall find up in Number 10, and especially in bedroom A." And in spite of those possibilities she laughed softly.
"And not a single mouthful of that delicious spread after those ten miles. I call it a perfect outrage," muttered Sally like a distant thunder-storm.
Beverly flashed one quizzical, tantalizing glance at her. "Don"t let _that_ worry you," she said.
"What?" whispered Sally eagerly.
"Hush. Listen to the Empress. Oh, isn"t this the richest you ever heard?"
CHAPTER XI
"DE HANTS DONE GOT DIS HYER HOUSE SURE"
They had now reached the south corridor, Miss Woodhull in the full force of her convictions, again heading straight for Suite 10, and bedroom A, in order to substantiate her statement of having within the past twenty minutes locked Beverly in.