Chapter XXV
Reading edition
GETTING ON
It was a frosty night and snow lay smoothly upon the campus. Only the walks and the cemented place about the fountain were cleaned. Tony Foyle had made his last rounds and put out the lights; but although there was no moon the starlight on the snow made the campus silvery in spots. But the leafless trees, and the buildings about the open space, cast deep shadows.
There was a light shining in a study window of the West Dormitory and that light was in the room occupied by the Triumvirate—Ruth Fielding, Helen Cameron and Mercy Curtis. The two latter were abed, but awake and wondering why Ruth had not returned, and what Miss Scrimp had meant by coming to the door and telling them to leave the light burning.
The clocks had long since struck eleven and it was close to midnight. The night was still, for there was no wind. It was possible that very few of either the scholars, teachers, or servants at Briarwood were awake. But almost directly under the light in the Triumvirate's room another light burned—in the study of the French teacher. She seldom retired early; that is one reason why those girls who considered Miss Picolet their enemy believed she was always on the watch.
Three figures came out of the basement door under the tower of Briarwood Hall—a lady much bundled up, a girl ditto, and the old Irishman, Tony Foyle.
"Sure, ma'am, jest as I told ye this afternoon, the big felly that sassed me last fall, tryin' ter git in ter play his harp, and with his other vagabonds, was hanging around again to-day. I hear him an' his rapscallion companions is in Lumberton. They've been playing about here and there, for a month back. And now I see him comin' along with his harp on his back—bad 'cess to him! P'raps they're walkin' across to Sivin Oaks, an' are takin' in Briarwood as a 'cross-cut'."
"Hush!" whispered the Preceptress. "Isn't that somebody over yonder—by the fountain?"
They were all three silent, keeping close in the shadow. Some object did seem to be moving in the shadow of the fountain. Suddenly there sounded on the still night air the reverberating note of a harp—a crash of sound following the flourish of a practised hand across the wires.
"Bless us and save us!" muttered Tony. "'Tis the marble harp. 'Tis a banshee playin'."
"Be still!" commanded Mrs. Tellingham. "It is nothing of the kind, you very well know, Tony. Ah!"
She had looked instantly toward the illuminated window of the French teacher's study at the other side of the campus. The shade had snapped up to the top of the casement, and the shadow of Miss Picolet appeared. The French teacher had heard the voice of the harp.
"Oh, poor little thing," murmured Mrs. Tellingham. "This seems like spying and eavesdropping, Ruth Fielding; but I mean to stop this thing right here and now. She shall not be frightened out of her wits by this villain."
They heard no further sound from the harp at the fountain. But the door of the West Dormitory opened and the little figure of Miss Picolet appeared, wrapped in some long, loose garment, and she sped down toward the fountain. Soon she was out of sight behind the marble statue.
"Come!" breathed the Preceptress.
They heard Miss Picolet and the man chattering in their own language—the man threatening, the woman pleading—when the trio got to the fountain. Ruth was a poor French scholar, but of course Mrs. Tellingham understood what they said. And the Preceptress glided around the fountain and confronted the harpist with a suddenness that quite startled him.
"You, sir!" exclaimed the lady, coldly. "I have heard enough of this. Don't be frightened, Miss Picolet. I only blame you for not coming to me. I have long known your circumstances, and the fact that you are poor, and that you have an imbecile sister to support, and that this man is your disreputable half-brother. And that he threatens to hang about here and make you lose your position unless you pay him to be good, is well known to me, too.
"We will have no more of this fellow's threats," continued Mrs. Tellingham, sternly. "You will give him none of your hard-earned money, Miss Picolet. Tony, here, shall see him off the grounds, and if he ever appears here again, or troubles you, let me know and I shall send him to jail for trespass. Now, remember—you Jean Picolet! I have your record and the police at Lumberton shall have it, too, if you ever trouble your sister again."
"Ah-ha!" snarled the big man, looking evilly at Ruth. "So the little Mademoiselle betrayed me; did she?"
"She has had nothing to do with it—save to have had the misfortune of losing the letter you gave her to deliver to Miss Picolet," Mrs. Tellingham said, briefly. "I had her here to identify you, had Miss Picolet not come out to meet you. Now, Tony!"
And big as the harpist was, and little as the old Irishman seemed, there was that in Tony Foyle's eye that made the man pick up his harp in a hurry and make his way from the campus.
"Child! go in to bed," said Mrs. Tellingham. "Not a word of this, remember. Thank goodness, you are one girl who can keep a secret. Miss Picolet, I want to see you in my study. I hope that, hereafter, you will give me your confidence. For you need fear no dismissal from the school over such a misfortune as is visited upon you."
She took the sobbing, trembling French teacher away with her while Ruth ran up to Duet Two in the West Dormitory, in a much excited state of mind.
Fortunately both Helen and Mercy had dropped to sleep and none of the other girls seemed to have heard the harp at midnight. So there was no talk this time about the Ghost of the Campus. To the other girls at Briarwood, the mystery remained unsolved, and the legend of the marble harp was told again and again to the Infants who came to the school, with the added point that, on the night Ruth Fielding and Helen Cameron had come to the hall, the marble harp was again heard to sound its ghostly note.
No thought of such foolish, old-wives' fables troubled Ruth Fielding's dreams as she lay down on this night which had seen the complete exposure of the campus mystery and the laying of the campus ghost. She dreamed, instead, of completing her first term at Briarwood with satisfaction to herself and her teachers—which she did! She dreamed of returning to the old Red Mill and being joyfully received by Aunt Alviry and Uncle Jabez—which she did! She dreamed, too, of joining Helen Cameron and her mid-winter party at Snow Camp and enjoying quantities of fun and frolic in the wintry woods; which, likewise, came true, and which adventures will be related in good time In the next volume of this series: "Ruth Fielding at Snow Camp; Or, Lost in the Backwoods."
"I am so glad it is over!" said Ruth to herself, as she retired. "I hope there is no more trouble."
And here let us for the time being say good bye to Ruth Fielding and her chums of Briarwood Hall.
THE END
THE RUTH FIELDING SERIES
By ALICE B. EMERSON
Ruth Fielding was an orphan and came to live with her miserly uncle. Her adventures and travels make stories that will hold the interest of every reader.
Ruth Fielding is a character that will live in juvenile fiction.
1. RUTH FIELDING OF THE RED MILL 2. RUTH FIELDING AT BRIARWOOD HALL 3. RUTH FIELDING AT SNOW CAMP 4. RUTH FIELDING AT LIGHTHOUSE POINT 5. RUTH FIELDING AT SILVER RANCH 6. RUTH FIELDING ON CLIFF ISLAND 7. RUTH FIELDING AT SUNRISE FARM 8. RUTH FIELDING AND THE GYPSIES 9. RUTH FIELDING IN MOVING PICTURES 10. RUTH FIELDING DOWN IN DIXIE 11. RUTH FIELDING AT COLLEGE 12. RUTH FIELDING IN THE SADDLE 13. RUTH FIELDING IN THE RED CROSS 14. RUTH FIELDING AT THE WAR FRONT 15. RUTH FIELDING HOMEWARD BOUND 16. RUTH FIELDING DOWN EAST 17. RUTH FIELDING IN THE GREAT NORTHWEST 18. RUTH FIELDING ON THE ST. LAWRENCE 19. RUTH FIELDING TREASURE HUNTING 20. RUTH FIELDING IN THE FAR NORTH 21. RUTH FIELDING AT GOLDEN PASS 22. RUTH FIELDING IN ALASKA 23. RUTH FIELDING IN HER GREAT SCENARIO 24. RUTH FIELDING AT CAMERON HALL 25. RUTH FIELDING CLEARING HER NAME 26. RUTH FIELDING IN TALKING PICTURES 27. RUTH FIELDING AND BABY JUNE
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York
THE BARTON BOOKS FOR GIRLS
By MAY HOLLIS BARTON
May Hollis Barton is a new writer for girls who is bound to win instant popularity. Her style is somewhat of a reminder of that of Louisa M. Alcott, but thoroughly up-to-date in plot and action. Clean tales that all the girls will enjoy reading.
1. THE GIRL FROM THE COUNTRY 2. THREE GIRL CHUMS AT LAUREL HALL 3. NELL GRAYSON'S RANCHING DAYS 4. FOUR LITTLE WOMEN OF ROXBY 5. PLAIN JANE AND PRETTY BETTY 6. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE 7. HAZEL HOOD'S STRANGE DISCOVERY 8. TWO GIRLS AND A MYSTERY 9. THE GIRLS OF LIGHTHOUSE ISLAND 10. KATE MARTIN'S PROBLEM 11. THE GIRL IN THE TOP FLAT 12. THE SEARCH FOR PEGGY ANN 13. SALLIE'S TEST OF SKILL 14. CHARLOTTE CROSS AND AUNT DEB
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York
BILLIE BRADLEY SERIES
By JANET D. WHEELER
A delightful series for girls who enjoy adventure and humor. The wholesome spirit and joyous youthfulness of Miss Wheeler's stories make of each new reader a new friend, and the reading of each succeeding volume further cements the friendship for the characters of Billie Bradley and her chums.
1. BILLIE BRADLEY AND HER INHERITANCE
or The Queer Homestead at Cherry Corners
Billie Bradley fell heir to an old homestead that was unoccupied and located far away in a lonely section of the country.
2. BILLIE BRADLEY AT THREE-TOWERS HALL
or Leading a Needed Rebellion
Three-Towers Hall was a boarding school for girls. For a time after Billie arrived all went well.
3. BILLIE BRADLEY ON LIGHTHOUSE ISLAND
or The Mystery of the Wreck
There was a severe storm that wrecked a ship from which three little children were washed ashore.
4. BILLIE BRADLEY AND HER CLASSMATES
or The Secret of the Locked Tower
Billie Bradley and her chums courageously come to the rescue of several little children who have broken through the ice.
5. BILLIE BRADLEY AT TWIN LAKES
or Jolly Schoolgirls Afloat and Ashore
A tale of the out-of-doors, in which Billie and her chums during their visit to an artists' colony become acquainted.
6. BILLIE BRADLEY AT TREASURE COVE
or The Old Sailor's Secret
How Billie Bradley heard of the Treasure, and how the girls meet with excitement, adventures, and strange characters in their endeavor to discover the old sailor's secret.
7. BILLIE BRADLEY AT SUN DIAL LODGE
or School Chums Solving a Mystery
The recovery of a stolen treasure chest forms the groundwork of an exciting story, that reveals Billie's ability at unraveling a mystery.
8. BILLIE BRADLEY AND THE SCHOOL MYSTERY
or The Girl from Oklahoma
How Billie clears up a mystery in which she is apparently implicated makes delightful reading.
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York
THE BETTY GORDON SERIES
By ALICE B. EMERSON
Author of the "Ruth Fielding Series"
A new series of stories bound to make this writer more popular than ever with her host of girl readers. Every one will want to know Betty Gordon, and every one will be sure to love her.
1. BETTY GORDON AT BRAMBLE FARM 2. BETTY GORDON IN WASHINGTON 3. BETTY GORDON IN THE LAND OF OIL 4. BETTY GORDON AT BOARDING SCHOOL 5. BETTY GORDON AT MOUNTAIN CAMP 6. BETTY GORDON AT OCEAN PARK 7. BETTY GORDON AND HER SCHOOL CHUMS 8. BETTY GORDON AT RAINBOW RANCH 9. BETTY GORDON IN MEXICAN WILDS 10. BETTY GORDON AND THE LOST PEARLS 11. BETTY GORDON ON THE CAMPUS 12. BETTY GORDON AND THE HALE TWINS 13. BETTY GORDON AT MYSTERY FARM 14. BETTY GORDON ON NO-TRAIL ISLAND
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York
THE LINGER-NOTS SERIES
By AGNES MILLER
This new series of girls' books is in a new style of story writing. The interest is in knowing the girls and seeing them solve the problems that develop their character. Incidentally, a great deal of historical information is imparted.
1. THE LINGER-NOTS AND THE MYSTERY HOUSE
or the Story of Nine Adventurous Girls
How the Linger-Not girls met and formed their club, and how they made their club serve a great purpose, introduces a new type of girlhood.
2. THE LINGER-NOTS AND THE VALLEY FEUD
or the Great West Point Chain
The Linger-Not girls had no thought of becoming mixed up with feuds or mysteries, but their habit of being useful soon entangled them in some surprising adventures.
3. THE LINGER-NOTS AND THEIR GOLDEN QUEST
or The Log of the Ocean Monarch
For a club of girls to become involved in a mystery leading back into the times of the California gold-rush, and how the girls helped one of their friends to come into her rightful name and inheritance.
4. THE LINGER-NOTS AND THE WHISPERING CHARM
or The Secret from Old Alaska
Whether engrossed in thrilling adventures in the Far North or occupied with quiet home duties, the Linger-Not girls could work unitedly and solve a colorful mystery.
5. THE LINGER-NOTS AND THE SECRET MAZE
or The Treasure-Trove on Battlefield Hill
The discovery of a thrilling treasure-trove at the end of the maze where the Linger-Nots learn many useful facts and the real secret of the hidden maze.
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York
PEGGY LEE SERIES
By ANNA ANDREWS
A charming series of stories of a young American girl, Peggy Lee, living with her family (including many unusual pets) on a large coffee plantation in Central America, and her many adventures there and in New York.
The action is rapid, full of fun, and takes the reader not only to many interesting places in Central America, but in the country as well, where Peggy attends a school for girls. The incidents are cleverly brought out, and Peggy in her wistful way, proves in her many adventures to be a brave girl and an endearing heroine to her friends and readers.
1. PEGGY AND MICHAEL OF THE COFFEE PLANTATION 2. PEGGY LEE OF THE GOLDEN THISTLE PLANTATION 3. PEGGY LEE AND THE MYSTERIOUS ISLANDS
(Other Volumes in Preparation)
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York