It was quite usual at St. Benedick’s for any Guide who woke early to appear in the gardens before breakfast-time. Betty had often risen early before, but never so early as on this particular day. “Eve said the sweet peas had got blown about and the stakes needed looking at,” she reminded herself. “Well, that will be something that I can do! There may be other girls in the gardens too!” There were not, however. As it happened, Betty found herself working alone; and for a while she gardened on busily and happily enough while the school still slept. It was just as she was standing back and surveying her work with her face turned from the fence which divided the gardens from the school wood that she suddenly heard a voice. The sound of her own name, too, called in no uncertain tones from the bushes of the wood. [Illustration: Betty turned and stared at the unexpected apparition.] Betty turned and stared at the unexpected apparition before her eyes. CHAPTER XVI EVERYTHING COMES RIGHT! Betty was gone! Her clothes were gone, too; and the occupants of the dormitory had taken it for granted on waking that the energetic Mascot had risen early as on previous occasions for extra gardening practice. It was only when, on the sounding of the breakfast-gong, there appeared no sight of Betty in her usual seat that surprised comments ran down the garden table. “Another _mark_! You don’t mean----!” “Where is Betty Carlyle?” inquired the prefect in charge. “Do any of you juniors know?” Not one of them knew, however. A universal shaking of heads prevailed. “Go out into the gardens, Gerry,” commanded Miss Drury from the wallflower table; “she must be there.” But Betty was not there, though the presence of certain gardening tools proclaimed the fact that the Mascot must certainly have spent some time in working close to the sweet-pea hedge. “Miss Drury, her gardening scissors are there. Some raffia, too. Just lying about!” Gerry’s eyes were wide. “Go back to your seat, Gerry, and finish your breakfast. One of the prefects will go and look for her.” Miss Drury’s tones were as common-sensible as ever. But little breakfast was possible for Gerry. She was beginning to grapple with an idea. Where was Betty? Already all the window-table girls were beginning to whisper, and the whispers were spreading round the room. Doron, the prefect who had been sent out to continue the search, had returned too, and Miss Drury herself had left the room after requesting Sybil to take her place at the head of the wallflower table. “Please say grace when every one has finished, Sybil, and dismiss the girls to the grounds as usual.” “Yes, Miss Drury.” Their tones were level and quiet. Sybil’s tones in pronouncing grace and in uttering the usual commands were level and quiet too. But it was quite certain that “something” had happened. Gerry, feeling strangely desolate without Betty’s presence, made her way into the grounds alone.