After the boys’ report of their unfruitful night at the tea-house, Marjorie felt less desirous of making the experiment herself. When she had called up the newspapers and explained to them that she now considered herself in possession of proof against the existence of anything unusual at the tea-house, she found them singularly indifferent. The reporters had been only too ready to print the story Marie Louise had given them over the telephone—that made good copy—but Marjorie’s account of the boys’ experience was too uninteresting and common-place to merit attention. She was disappointed to meet with such ; she felt that in failing to get the desired , the boys’ efforts had been wasted.  
And yet their experiment had not been wholly in vain, for Marjorie somehow felt a subtle change of attitude among the more timid girls, and an increase of courage on Anna’s part. Everything was going better now, for Marie Louise had come back and Mae Van Horn had come down to help during her vacation. Moreover, the girls who had already had vacations—Florence, Alice, and Marie Louise—seemed to work with redoubled energy.
 
Ever since Anna’s strange experience, the tea-room had continued to thrive financially. Now, with half of their loan paid off, and a substantial balance in bank, the faced a month of probable prosperity. Marjorie felt satisfied and happy.
 
She her own adventure at the tea-house until after the first of August. Daisy was going on her vacation then, and Lily had consented to take one week; so Marjorie felt that it would be easier with the more nervous girls away. She wanted Ethel Todd as her sole partner.
 
“Marj, I wish you would give up that wild scheme of yours,” begged Lily; as she said goodbye to her. “So many things may happen—leaving ghosts out of the question, I mean!”
 
“Oh, we’ll take ’s revolver along,” said Marjorie. “You needn’t worry about Ethel and me—we can take care of ourselves.”
 
“Well, be sure to write to me as soon as it is over! I can’t help being worried.”
 
“All right,” agreed Marjorie, laughingly; “I will.”
 
True to his promise, however, Marjorie’s brother Jack made no attempt to her from her purpose, and refrained from writing his parents anything about it. When the evening for the event arrived, he drove over with John Hadley in the to take the girls down to the tea-house and to see that they were comfortably established for the night.
 
Since Mrs. Hadley happened to be with them, and could act as chaperone, the girls invited the boys to come in for . While Marjorie was making some lemonade in the kitchen, John and Jack went all over the house, examining every corner to make sure that there was no one in . In the dim candle-light the cellar appeared forbidding, but upon examination it proved to be as harmless as the rest of the house.
 
“Any ghosts?” asked Marjorie, as they returned.
 
“No—not a sign of one!” replied John. “You aren’t the least bit scared, are you, Marj?”
 
“Mercy no!” laughed the girl, lightly. “Jack, come crack some ice! And tell me, would you boys rather have sandwiches or fudge-layer cake?”
 
“Both!” replied her brother immediately, as he searched for the ice-pick.
 
When the refreshments were ready the little party to the porch to enjoy the breeze that was blowing. Neither girl felt the least bit nervous about the approaching adventure, but as the minutes passed and everything grew quieter, Mrs. Hadley showed increasing concern.
 
“Marjorie,” she said, as she listened to a near-by clock out eleven strokes, “won’t you please let us all stay all night here? The boys wouldn’t mind finding a place on the floor down stairs, and we three could put the two cots together upstairs.”
 
Marjorie smiled at the suggestion; there would be no possible reason for her remaining there over night if she had the protection of the boys.
 
“No, thanks, Mrs. Hadley—though it’s kind of you to offer. But the boys had their chance, and didn’t discover anything—now Ethel and I want to see what we can do.”
 
“Then let me stay!” urged the older woman, “Without the boys.”
 
“Oh, no, really!” replied both girls at once.
 
“It would be too uncomfortable,” added Ethel. “You know those army cots aren’t especially soft—”
 
“And if we had to share them, we’d never get any sleep!” put in Marjorie. “Please, please, don’t worry! We’ll be all right.”
 
Seeing that further argument would be of no avail, Mrs. Hadley finally to go away and let the girls carry out their wishes. But she did not look any too content as she said goodbye.
 
Marjorie and Ethel bolted both doors on the inside, and made their way upstairs, with two flash-lights, some pillows, and a revolver. Since there were no shades at the windows, they did not turn on the light, but crept into their cots after removing only their shoes.
 
“My brother is the most sensible one of the bunch,” observed Marjorie, as she lay still, gazing through the window at the tree-tops. “I know John and Mrs. Hadley were about as nervous as Marie Louise.”
 
“Yes,” returned Ethel; “and isn’t it all absurd?”
 
“What do you honestly think did happen to Anna that night?” asked Marjorie. “Do you think she made the whole story up?”
 
“No, I don’t,” replied Ethel, with . “I think she actually dreamed the whole thing—and walked in her sleep, and got out of the house somehow.”
 
“But how?”
 
“That I don’t know. But I have read strange instances of people making discoveries in their sleep—things they could never find out when they were awake. So she may have found some hidden door, or loose window, or something like that.”
 
“Well, I hope we don’t do anything queer like that,” observed Marjorie, beginning to be influenced in spite of herself by the loneliness of the place. “You don’t walk in your sleep, do you Ethel?”
 
“Gracious, no!” laughed the other girl. “And by the way, if either of us does get awake, let’s make a promise to wake the other. There’s no use lying here feeling lonely.”
 
“Agreed!” replied Marjorie.
 
Notwithstanding her courage, it took Marjorie longer to go to sleep than she had expected. Unconsciously, as she lay there, she listened to every noise; but as they all came from without, she was not in the least fearful. Her mind seemed to be unusually active, so she began to plan out some ............