She and Nan marched Rhoda, willy-nilly, down the room and up the
steps to the platform.

Rhoda stumbled on each step and held her head down. Nan, therefore,
judged that Rhoda could see a little from under the bandage. But
she did not call Laura's attention to this fact.

"Mount her quickly, slaves!" called Amelia from below. "Force her
to walk the plank instantly!"

There had been a stepladder set up against the first horizontal bar
set, right at the end of the plank. Nan saw that the mattresses
were all in place and that a fall from the plank would only be
about three feet. Such a fall was not likely to be serious, and to
girls used to athletic drill it seemed a mere nothing. And yet--

"Come on!" commanded Laura, half lifting Rhoda up the stepladder.

"Careful, Laura!" whispered Nan. "If she should fall--"

"Then she will escape drowning," said the red-haired girl, coolly
and aloud.

"Fudge!" muttered the victim, who seemed in a very much disgusted
mood.

"Beseemeth the candidate is not sufficiently impressed by her
situation," hissed Laura.

She and Nan had scrambled up the steps with the blindfolded Rhoda.