d to be coming from the door which opened
into her grandmother's room, and with a sudden fear she flew out of bed
and ran to investigate. With the first step inside Madam Chase's door her
bare foot encountered the icy touch of snow, and she realized that a
window was undoubtedly open to the full force of the storm.

Without a thought of herself she rushed across the room, understanding
what must have happened: the shaky little old window frame had blown in,
for the tempest came straight from that direction. Yes, she stumbled upon
it, lying on the floor. She picked it up and tried to replace it, but an
instant's struggle convinced her that this was impossible. With a cry she
ran to the bed, herself chilled through, her heart beating fast with
fear. How long had Granny been lying there in the onslaught of wind and
cold?

She seized upon the small figure huddled under the blankets, lifted it,
blankets and all, and bore it into her own room. She laid it on her own
cot, covered it with a mountain of clothing, and crushed into place the
door between the two rooms. Then, shaking with chill, her teeth
chattering, she dressed, answering the old lady's one shivering
complaint:

"I thought I was very cold, in my dreams, Charlotte. What has happened?"

"It's all right, Granny,--you are safe in my room. I'll get you warm in a
minute."

She ran down to the kitchen, heated water over a spirit-lamp, and made a
stiff little hot drink, which she carried upstairs, with a hot-water
bottle. The bag at Granny's feet, the stimulating posset drunk, Charlotte
felt easier about her charge and went next at the task of making her
comfortable for the remainder of the night. She ran down again and made
up the fire in the fireplace, convinced that she must get the old lady
downstairs, now that with each blast the terrible wind was filling one
room with the storm and battling at the little old door to make an
entrance into the other. Then she put on a coat, and went up to wrestle
with Granny's bed, while the wind swept round her, and the snow flew
across the room and stung her cheeks. It was a hard task, getting the bed
apart and down the stairs, but she accomplished it, and set it up in the
living-room, far from the windows and with one side to the fire. Then she
brought down springs and mattress, warmed the latter thoroughly at the
blaze, and put it in place.

"Now, dear," she said presently, bending over the cot, "I'm going to take
you down