But Betty had no intention of coming back. She turned and faced the girls
calmly, though inwardly she was trembling.

"Of course I am going back," she said. "Professor Dempsey may be in one of
the other rooms and he may be sick. If nobody will go with me, I'm going
in alone."

Of course the three girls could not let her go in alone, so they trailed
back at her heels into the house, being very careful, however, to leave
the door wide open behind them, in case a hasty retreat became necessary.

Cautiously Betty opened the door at the other end of the room and stepped
into what had evidently been a sort of rough kitchen. Now it was nothing
but a nightmare like the other room, and she shuddered as she looked about
at the desolate confusion.

There was a door at the farther end of this room, and after some
hesitation and an inward struggle Betty crossed hastily to it and flung it
wide open.

What she half expected and feared to find there nobody but Betty herself
ever knew, but whatever it was, she gave a great sigh of relief at not
finding it there. The room was upset, though not quite as badly as the
other two, but there was no sign of human occupancy anywhere.

She turned to the girls who had come up behind her and were eagerly and
half shudderingly peering over her shoulder.

"There's nothing here," she announced, the relief she felt showing in her
voice, "and as there doesn't seem to be any other room in the place, I