A few minutes later they came within sight of the school and found to their dismay that it was lunch hour. “Do you mean to say we have been gone all morning?” cried Laura, stopping short at the familiar sight of the girls pouring out on the campus for a breath of air before their studies should commence again. “Goodness, Miss Walters will murder us.” “Oh, come on,” cried Billie, hurrying the girls along. “Haven’t we been on an errand of mercy—and everything? She can’t kill us for that, even if we were a long time about it.” Greetings and laughing gibes were flung at the girls as they hurried across the snow-covered campus, but they did not stop to answer. They wanted to see Miss Walters, explain why they were so late, and get a bite of something to eat before the afternoon classes began. They had almost reached the door when a voice called to Billie from overhead. She looked up unsuspectingly and received an avalanche of snow right in the face, almost blinding her and sending her staggering back against her chums. Sputtering and choking, she dashed the snow from her eyes and looked up to see who had done such a mean thing. There at a window just over her head was the grinning face of Amanda Peabody. In a flash Billie realized that it had been Amanda who had pushed the snow from the window ledge upon her. “Want some more?” asked that disagreeable person in response to Billie’s stare. “There’s just a little bit left,” and she made a gesture as if to push the rest of the snow from the windowsill down upon Billie’s upturned face. But Billie did not wait to see whether she would really have done it. With a cry she made for the door of the school, pushing through a group of the girls who had gathered at the first sign of a fracas. Laura and Vi followed, fuming. As usual, instead of staying and facing the consequences of her own deeds, Amanda tried to get away. But Billie was too quick for her. The former reached the door of the room just as Amanda darted through it, bent upon escape. Her eyes blazing, Billie seized the girl’s arm and hurried her through the hall, Laura and Vi assisting, and a delighted crowd following close behind. “You let me go—you big cowards, you!” spluttered Amanda, almost crying with rage and fright. “You let me go, Billie Bradley! I’ll tell Miss Walters.” “Go ahead and tell Miss Walters, you miserable sneak!” cried Billie, giving the girl a contemptuous shake. “But you won’t tell her till I’m through with you.” “What are you going to do?” whined Amanda, too scared now even to bluster. “I won’t do it again, honest I won’t. Only let me go.” “Don’t you do it, Billie,” cried one of the girls in the following crowd. “Don’t let her off so easy.” But Billie had no intention of letting her enemy off easily. Having now reached the outside door, she shoved it open, at the same time motioning to Vi and Laura to let go of Amanda.