hat's the matter?"

"Somebody is in the store downstairs."

"How do you know that?"

"Mamma heard the window raised and woke me. She asked me to call you
boys."

"Wait a moment and we'll be with you."

It showed how lightly Alvin and Mike were sleeping when they were
instantly roused by the slight noise made in opening the door. Each sat
on the side of his couch and listened. In the deep silence they heard the
snatch of conversation and hurriedly began putting on their clothes. They
wrought silently and without lighting the lamp.

"I expected it," remarked Chester, imitating them.

Mrs. Friestone joined her daughter in the dark hall, she being too wise
to use a light. A moment later the whole party stood together in the
gloom, where neither could see the face of the others.

"Hark!" whispered the mother.

The five stood for a minute without stirring or speaking and hardly
breathing. Not the slightest sound reached their ears. Then Chester asked
in a guarded undertone:

"Are you sure you were not mistaken, Mrs. Friestone?"

"I could not have been; the sound of the raising of the window was too
distinct for me to be deceived--hark!" she warned again.

This time all heard something. It was a faint, rasping noise such as
might have been caused by the cautious pushing of a box or large smooth
object over the floor. If this were so, the article could not have been
moved more than a few inches, for the sound ceased immediately.

"You are right," said Alvin; "you have visitors. About what time do you
suppose it is?"

"The clock struck twelve quite awhile ago. There! it is now one," she
added as a silvery tinkle came from the parlor.

"What shall we do?" asked Nora, echoing the question that was in the mind
of every one.

And then a strange council was held in a place so dark that all who took
part were mutually invisible.

It would seem that the common sense course was to make a noise that would
be heard by the burglars and would scare them off. That is to say that
theoretically this would occur, but it might not. Knowing how much loot
was within their reach, if not already in hand, one or two of them were
likely to hurry upstairs and compel those that were there to hold their
peace, hesitating at no violence to enforce their orders.

While the boys were eager to take the risk, the mother would not agree
and the plan had to be abandoned.

The next proposal was for each to thrust his or her head out of a