little overkeen at bridge, or take the wrong sables, or stuff a gold-backed brush into a muff at a reception. You remember the ivory dressing set that Theodora Bucknell had, fastened wi

ten, at least eight of us were friends, and the other two had been vouched for by the Browns and Jimmy. It was a horrible mix-up. For the necklace was gon

e of us, at least, would break quarantine within the next twenty-four hours, and, of course, that settled it. Dick told it around the club as a joke, and a man who owns a newspape

things of Jimmy's-and I was still dressed. The house was perfectly quiet, and, after listening carefully, I went slowly down the stairs. There was a light in the hall, and

e breathing just beside me. I had stooped to my gown, and I turned my head without straightening-I couldn't have raised m

e before I could spea

's t

nder I had not walked into him;

ly. "I was afraid to speak suddenly, or mo

Mr. H

" I managed to say, with dry lips. "Do

ar he had not known me be

as much impressed by the fact that I had not undressed as I was by the fact that he HAD, partly. He wore a hideous dressing gown of Jimmy's, much too small,

house is like a barn. You ought not to be running around with your a

turb any one," I said

he furnace. I didn't suppose any one else would think of it. But I lost myself in that pantry, stumbled against a half-open drawer, and nearly went down the dumb-waiter." And, as if in judgment on me, at that instan

forgot to mention it. There is a policeman asleep in the furnace room. I

he repeated, staring at me, and

ded by soiled dishes and all the cheerless aftermath of a dinner party. "Please don't go down. I-it's one of

ster pipe, and some language

re about the kitchen? I'm going down and arrest that police

irmness. "He-he is probably in a very dang

grinned and the

minute this crazy quarantine is raised I am off to the Argentine Republic," (perhaps he said Chili) "and because I don't know anything at all about you. You see

cided to make the best of a bad thing. Anyhow, it was going to require strength to ge

sudden resolution, and le

them. And then I saw she was asleep. Her hat and veil were laid beside her, and she had taken off her coat and draped it around her. She had ru

er my breath. "And-she doesn't want to stay. She is on bad terms with-with

ituation were quite ordinary. "However, we can try. S

though he had taken a lump of coal and was attacking the lock. Mr. H

you won't get out of here at all, u

ead with her eyes shut and then opened them one at a t

d yawned. "Do you know what time it is? And that-

her hastily. "He-he came with An

nd she took a hair pin out of her mouth, and arche

ee about a-a butler. Unfortunately, the house was quarantined just at that time, and-here I am. Surely there can not be any harm in helping me to get o

ourse she was free. She had a perfect right to marry again, but I will say thi

down on society from a lofty, lonely pinnacle agreed to help one of

table. He changed after that, but that comes later in the story. Anyhow, the Harbison man went upstairs and came down with a Bagdad curtain and

een. No prisoners ever dug their way out of a dungeon with more energy than that with which we attached that screen, hacking at it with kitchen knives, whispering like conspirators, being scratched with the ragged edges of the wire, frozen with the cold air one minute and boiling with excitement the next. And

dure. For the whole conversation came out the next afternoon in the paper, with the most awful drawings, and the reporter

e Harbison man was trying to apologize for the language he had used to the reporter, and I was on the ver

t!" she screeched.

part of the house in such condition, and that if I had acted like a sane person and put her out, when she had no business there at all, she would have had her freedom and her

four o'cloc

o one could have taken it. There wasn't a soul in this pa

name-helped me to creep upstairs, and wanted to get me a glass of ale to make me sleep. But I said it would be of no use, as I had to get up and get the breakf

e of her with the violets underneath. I couldn't see what there was about Bella to inspire such undying devotion,

yfully. I dragged myself to the door and opened it, and then I heard excited voi

and hold a blanket around himself with the other. No one was dressed except Anne, and she had been up for an hour, looking in

I forgot. And I didn't sleep well; I was awake half the night. Wasn't I, Dal? Then, when the clock downstairs in the hall was chiming five, somethi

ad nightmare," h

d on the light over the bed then, and the room was empty. I thought of my collar, and although it seemed ridicul

was true. And there we stood, every one of us a miserable picture of guilt, and tried to look innocent a

r fellow did it, this house will be a nice little hell to live in. And if anybody"-here he glared around-"if anybody has got funny a

obody