frightful. He's like a madman. We will have to keep all
the doors locked, and send for the police. Why, do you know, Ethel
says that he was here before, running about and shouting in the same
way: 'Min!' 'Min!' 'Min!'--that's what the horrid wretch calls you
--'Min! it's me.' 'Come, Min!'"

At this Minnie burst into a peal of merry, musical laughter, and
laughed on till the tears came to her eyes. Her sister looked more
disgusted than ever.

"He's such a boy," said Minnie; "he's just like a boy. He's so _aw_fully
funny. If I'm a child, he's a big boy, and the awfullest, funniest boy
I ever saw. And then he's _so_ fond of me. Why, he worships me. Oh,
it's awfully nice."

"A boy! A beast, you mean--a horrid savage. What _can_ I do? I must
send for a policeman. I'll certainly have the doors all locked. And
then we'll all be prisoners."

"Well, then, it'll all be your own fault, for _I_ don't want to have
any doors locked."

"Oh dear!" sighed her sister.

"Well, I don't. And I think you're very unkind."

"Why, you silly child, he'd come here some day, carry you off, and
make you marry him."

"Well, I do wish he would," said Minnie, gravely. "I wish somebody
would, for then it would put a stop to all this worry, and I really
don't know what else ever will. Do _you_, now, Kitty darling?"

Mrs. Willoughby turned away with a gesture of despair.

An hour or two after some letters were brought in, one of which was
addressed to

MISS FAY,

_Poste Restante_,

_Roma_.

Minnie opened this, and looked over it with a troubled air. Then she
spoke to her sister, and they both went off to Minnie's room.

"Who do you think this is from?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't know! Of course it's some more trouble."

"It's from Captain Kirby."

"Oh, of course! And of course he's here in Rome?"

"No, he isn't."

"What! Not yet?"

"No; but he wrote this from London. He has been to the house, and
learned that we had gone to Italy. He says he has sent off letters to
me, directed to every city in Italy, so that I may be sure to get it.
Isn't that good of him?"

"Well?" asked Mrs. Willoughby, repressing an exclamation of vexation.

"Well, he says that in three days he will leave, and go first to Rome,
as he thinks we will be most likely to be there this season. And so,
you see, he's coming on; and he will be here in three days, you know."

"Minnie," said her sister, after some moments' solemn thought.

"Well, Kit