nd then swept the big room with a startled glance.

'Phemie had disappeared. The outside door was still locked. It seemed to
Lyddy as though the echoing slam of the door that had awakened her was
still ringing in her ears.

She ran to the hall door and opened it. Dark--and not a sound!

Where could 'Phemie have gone?

The older sister had never known 'Phemie to walk in her sleep. She had no
tricks of somnambulism that Lyddy knew anything about.

And yet the older Bray girl was quite sure her sister had come this way.
The lamplight, when the door was opened wide, illuminated the square
hall quite well. Lyddy ran across it and pushed open the door of the
long corridor.

There was no light in it, yet she could see outlined the huge pieces of
furniture, and the ugly chairs. And at the very moment she opened this
door, the door at the far end was flung wide and a white figure plunged
toward her.

"'Phemie!" screamed the older sister.

"Lyddy!" wailed 'Phemie.

And in a moment they were in each other's arms and Lyddy was dragging
'Phemie across the entrance hall into the lighted kitchen.

"What is it? What _is_ it?" gasped Lyddy.

"Oh, oh, oh!" was all 'Phemie was able to say for the moment; then, as she
realized how really terrified her sister was, she continued her series
of "ohs" while she thought very quickly.

She knew very well what had scared her; but why add to Lyddy's fright? She
could not explain away the voice she had heard. Of course, she knew very
well it had _not_ proceeded from the skeleton. But why terrify Lyddy by
saying anything about that awful thing?

"What scared you so?" repeated Lyddy, shaking her a bit.

"I--I don't know," stammered 'Phemie--and she didn't!

"But why did you get up?"

"I thought I heard something--voices--people talking--steps," gasped
'Phemie, and now her teeth began to chatter so that she could scarcely
speak.

"Foolish girl!" exclaimed Lyddy, rapidly recovering her own self-control.
"You dreamed it. And now you've got a chill, wandering through this old
house. Here! sit down there!"

She drove her into a low chair beside the hearth. She ran for an extra
comforter to wrap around her. She raked the ashes off the coals of the
fire, and set the tea-kettle right down upon the glowing bed.

In a minute it began to steam and gurgle, and Lyddy made her sister an
old-fashioned brew of ginger tea. When the younger girl had swallowed half
a bowlful of the scalding mixtu