One November afternoon, when the girls were returning from hockey, Patty, in strolling through the shrubbery, noticed that the gardener, who had probably been unstopping one of the gutters, had left his ladder leaning against a wall, thus giving access to the flat roof of the lecture hall. Patty at home had sometimes been called a tomboy, and she could not resist climbing up to see what the world looked like from the top. She had reached the leads, and was on the point of stepping over a large spout, when she heard the sound of laughter on the roof, and stopped to listen. Someone was evidently already there, and, recognizing the voices of Doris, May, and Ella, she decided not to follow them. An idea had suddenly occurred to her, and acting upon it at once she descended to the ground, then, very gently removing the ladder, she laid it at the foot of the wall. The gardener's wheelbarrow, full of dead leaves, stood conveniently near, under the shelter of a large rhododendron, so she sat down on it, and waited for what she knew was bound to happen. I believe there was a little mischief in her eyes, for Patty liked a joke as well as anybody, and she thought the occasion offered considerable opportunities for fun. She had not to wait long. In a few minutes her three room mates, who had explored the roof as far as they dared to venture, returned to the spot where they had left the ladder, and were much astonished to find it gone. "What a nuisance!" said May. "Ward must have taken it without our hearing him. I wonder where he is?" "We shall have to call," said Ella; "perhaps he hasn't gone very far." None of the three noticed Patty, who was hidden by the rhododendron, though by peeping through the leaves she was able to see them perfectly well. "Coo--e--e!" cried Doris, as loudly as she could. "Cuckoo!" shouted May, hoping some passing companion might be within earshot. "What are we to do?" said Ella, when their calls had been repeated several times without rousing the faintest reply. It was rather a lonely part of the garden; most of the girls had run from the hockey field straight into the house, and the gardener was at that moment partaking of tea in the kitchen. Patty, who had counted on all these points, remained quietly under cover, and suppressed her laughter as best she could. "I don't know; we can't possibly jump it," said May, peeping over the edge to judge the distance between herself and the ground, and drawing back with a shudder. "We shall have to wait till Ward comes back," said Doris. "Suppose he's put the ladder away, and doesn't intend to come back?" suggested Ella. "Then we'll have to stay here all night," said May. "Oh, rubbish!" cried Doris. "Let us give one more good call; somebody's sure to come." The combined efforts of three pairs of lungs raised a lusty shout, but beyond a slight echo there was no response. "It's getting so dark. It must be almost tea-time, I'm sure," groaned Ella.