Off they did sail and never was a more delightful sensation than Molly's, flying over the smooth ice with this good-looking young Mercury. Around and round they skimmed, until one of the Exmoor boys blew a horn, the signal that it was time to start the ten miles back to college. Very rough skating it was in places, so Lawrence informed Molly; rather dangerous going down some of the steep hills, but glorious fun. "Why don't you do like Baron Munchausen on the mountain? Sit on a silk handkerchief and slide down," suggested Molly. "We have done some sliding of that kind," he answered, laughing, "but it was accidental and there was no time to get out a pocket handkerchief." At last the great carnival was over, and Molly, falling in with a crowd of campus girls, started for home, singing with the others: "Good-night, ladies, we're gwine to leave you now." It was nearly ten when she tramped upstairs, still on her skates. Judy called out to her from her room, but Nance had not returned. Molly unlaced the skating boots, removed the Russian Princess costume, and flinging her time-worn eiderdown cape around her shoulders, sat down to toast her toes. "Judy," she called presently, "what have you done with Nance?" "The last I saw of the Lady Nance she was going over the hill with her sandy-haired cavalier." "I saw her, too, but I haven't met up with her since. I'm afraid she will get a 'calling' if she isn't back pretty soon." The girls waited silently. Presently they heard the last of the carnival revellers return. The clock in the tower struck ten. Mrs. Markham locked the hall door and put out the hall light, and still no Nance. "She's gone off skating with Sandy Andy and forgot the time," whispered Judy, who had crept into Molly's room to confer. "It's a good joke on proper old Nance. I think she was never known to break a rule before." "You don't suppose anything could have happened to them, do you?" "Of course not. But you know how absorbed they do get in conversation. They wouldn't hear a cannon go off a yard away." "They are awfully strict here about being out with boys," observed Molly uneasily. "I do wish she would come home." The girls lingered over the register talking in whispers until the clock struck half-past ten. "Molly, suppose they have eloped!" Judy observed. "Eloped!" repeated Molly, amazed. Then she began to laugh. "Judy, is there anybody in the world so romantic as you? Why, they are mere infants. Andy isn't nineteen yet and Nance was only eighteen last month. I think we'd better slip out and find them. Come on." Very quietly the two girls got into their things. They wore their rubbers this time, and Molly very thankfully carried the imitation ermine muff. The entire household was sound asleep when out into the sparkling, glittering world they crept like two conspirators. "Suppose we try the links first," suggested Judy, "since both of us saw them disappearing last in that direction."