The bell was tolling for the vesper service. The students trooped out of the various buildings and wended their way, more or less hastily, towards the chapel. The last stroke had just ceased to vibrate as two girls slipped into opposite ends of a rear seat and dropped down side by side. As soon as it was safe, one of them pulled a note from her pocket and stealthily tucked it into the hand of the other. “Read it and hand it over to Nellie Gaines,” she whispered. Edith Latta spread the note open on her lap and read:-- “Girls:--The Sophs have got news of our banquet, so we have changed from the Watson House to the Goodwin. Everybody go down to Fanny Berginrose’s right after chapel. The fish have come.” Within ten minutes every member of the Freshman class had read the note, and it is to be feared that during the next half-hour their minds were less occupied with the services than with curiosity and the thought of planked white fish. Immediately after chapel the Freshman girls separated. A party of Sophomore boys gathered behind the chapel and eyed the retreating Freshmen suspiciously. “There’s something up, fellows, sure,” said Bert Loranger. “We’d better shadow the Freshies.” “You and George go, Bert,” said Theodore Lathrop. “They’ll smell a mouse if a crowd follows. We’ll go up to Chapin Hall and you can ’phone us the news.” The party separated, and George and Bert strolled down the path leading through the campus toward town. The girls were in sight as they crossed Pleasant Street and turned up Public Avenue. Bert slipped behind the Parsonage and watched them cat-a-cornered through its bay window. [Illustration: BERT WATCHED THEM THROUGH THE BAY WINDOW] “They’re going to Fanny Berginrose’s!” he exclaimed. “And there come two more Juniors, with another crowd of girls, down the hill.” “That’s all right,” declared George Nelson. “Come on down to Blake’s. We’ll ’phone the fellows from there.” The boys hastened over to the livery stable. “Hello, there, Ted! We’ve tracked the girls to Fanny Berginrose’s. You know the scheme. Hurry down.” Ten minutes later a dozen Sophomores entered Blake’s, hot and breathless. “Everything’s moving,” said Bert Loranger. “We’ve ordered two ’buses. We’ll go down to Fanny’s in a body and politely offer to escort the Fresh-Ladies. Once in, we’ll drive them over to Rockton and across to Freeville, and keep them going till midnight.” As soon as the ’buses were ready the boys sprang in and started for the Berginrose mansion. As they drew up in imposing array along the curb, they stood up and, swinging their hats, gave the Freshman yell: “Siss, bang! Boom-a-lang! Roar! Vive-la, Belmont! 1904!” Long before that all the girls were watching them from the window. “The Sophomores! What shall we do? Don’t let them in!” cried they in a chorus. Fanny stuck her head out the window and asked, “What’s wanted?”