CHAPTER XIII
FOUR ENEMIES
"Are we really going to have one, Billie Bradley? Oh, how wonderful!"
Several weeks had passed, and this afternoon the five of them, LauraJordon, Vi, Nellie Bane, Connie Danvers and Billie, were sitting closetogether at the very farthest end of Billie's dormitory talking oversome plans that made them feel delightfully like conspirators.
"A real feast!" said Violet Farrington eagerly. "With sandwiches andpickles and cake and--and--everything! Oh, Billie, who all are going tobe in the party?"
"All the girls from Nellie's dorm, we four and Caroline Brant," Billiesaid, in a voice scarcely above a whisper.
"But I don't think Caroline will come," said Laura doubtfully. "You knowshe would lots rather study than go to a party. That's her idea of agood time."
For although Caroline Brant had proved a good friend to the chums,especially to Billie, they had tried in vain to draw her into theirlittle escapades. She was what the girls usually referred to scornfullyas "a grind," yet, strange to say, they all loved her.
She willingly helped them with their lessons, had often coached some ofthe more backward of them for tests, passing them when otherwise theywould have hopelessly flunked, and cheerfully helped them out of scrapeswhen they needed help.
So now it was not strange that Laura should expect her to refuse aninvitation to this new escapade--the most forbidden of all forbiddenescapades, the midnight feast.
"Well, I'm going to ask her, anyway," Billie said in answer to Laura'sobjection. "The worst she can do is to say she won't come."
"But you're going to ask Rose, aren't you?" Connie broke in, adding, asBillie frowned and looked doubtful: "She'd never in the world forgiveyou if you didn't."
"Yes, we'll ask Rose," said Billie, after a minute's hesitation. "Hereshe comes now," she added, as the door opened and Rose entered. "Come onover here," she called, "I want to ask you something."
She was just about to tell Rose the plans and invite her to the partywhen the door opened again and Amanda entered with Eliza Dilks. Amandawas never seen without Eliza trailing along in the background, and forthis reason the girls had nicknamed the latter, "The Shadow."
By this time the girls at Three Towers Hall had learned to dislike thetwo sneaks as much as the girls of North Bend disliked Amanda.
Wherever anything was going on, especially of a secret nature, Amandaand "The Shadow" were sure to be prying about, saying mean littlethings, forcing the girls to move over to some other place where theycould be private for a little while.
And now here they were again!
"What do you want?" asked Rose, not noticing the two who had come inafter her. Rose's voice was not very pleasant, for she was beginning toshow her growing dislike of Billie openly.
"Nothing just now," Billie answered, looking behind Rose to where Amandaand "The Shadow" stood, apparently talking together, yet listening toevery word that was being said. "I'll tell you later."
Amanda looked up and her mean little eyes twinkled angrily.
"Don't mind us," she said. "If we're in the way, of course we'll getout. Come on, Eliza," and with their noses in the air she and "TheShadow" sailed out of the room.
"Some day I'm going to kill 'em," said Laura, glaring ferociously at theclosed door.
"Go on. What were you going to tell me?" drawled Rose, turning to themirror and eyeing her pretty reflection with satisfaction.
"You'd better not say anything, Billie," Nellie Bane warned her."They're probably listening at the keyhole or something."
"It must be horrid to hate everybody and have everybody hate you," musedConnie, smoothing back her pretty hair.
"But they seem to hate Billie most of all," said Vi. "I'm sure I don'tknow why. It's because she's so popular, I suppose."
Then to Rose, still fussing with her hair before the mirror, came thedawn of an idea. It would be hard to do anything to hurt Billie herself,for, whatever her faults, Rose was not a sneak. But she might make useof Amanda----
It was several days later--the day that had been set for the greatest ofall adventures, a midnight feast in the dormitory.
It was Billie who had arranged it all, and although the feast itself wasby no means a new idea, she had thought up something to make it a littlemore interesting and daring.
Each girl had been instructed to learn some little piece or poem whichshe was to recite on the great occasion. Some of the girls protested onthe ground that they were poor at memorizing, but Billie had been firm.
"No recite, no eat," she had said; and so the girls, some joyfully,some reluctantly, had set to work to learn their pieces.
And Billie, full of energy and enthusiasm, had gone to work and got up aregular program with the names of the girls and the recitations theywould give. Laura and Vi had helped her make duplicates of the programso that there was one for each girl.
And the strangest thing about the whole affair was that Caroline Brant,junior student and grind, had agreed to make one of the party.
Billie's chums called her a witch, for since Caroline Brant had come toThree Towers Hall she had never been known to take a hand in oneadventure, no matter how harmless it may have been. And Rose, growingmore and more resentful as she saw even her most faithful followersdeserting her for Billie, became more sure that she would have to makeuse of Amanda and "The Shadow."
Neither Billie nor any of the other girls knew Caroline Brant's realreason for accepting Billie's invitation. The fact was that Caroline hadfallen in love with Billie at first sight, perhaps because she was justthe opposite of Caroline herself, and had since become as fond of her asif she had been her younger sister.
But all the time, while she had seemed to be engrossed in her studies,she had been keeping one eye on Billie, and with that one eye had seenpretty nearly everything that had happened.
She was as proud of Billie's growing popularity as if it had beenherself, but she knew Rose would never stand for the taking of her placeby any one. And that was what Billie was very surely doing.
She knew that Amanda and Eliza disliked Billie and would do almostanything to get her into trouble.
And then there was that fourth enemy of Billie's, Miss Cora Dill.Caroline knew that if Miss Cora were to catch Billie in any sort ofscrape she would never in the world give her the benefit of the doubt.
And most of all, Caroline knew that Billie, with her imp of mischief,would be the very last to try to keep out of a scrape, and that sooneror later one of her four enemies would get just the proof she wanted totake to Miss Walters.
In that case, so great was her affection for Billie, Caroline haddesperately decided that she would go to Miss Walters herself and pleadfor Billie.
And all this, nobody seeing Caroline, quiet, reserved, studyingfuriously for the mid-term examinations that were coming dangerouslynear, would have guessed at. Nor would they have guessed that Carolinewas breaking her rule and going to Billie's party simply to keep Billiefrom harm.