and exerted
himself to be accommodating. It looked like a tremendous hotel where
every one is at home; not a servant or one of the deaf and dumb
children was to be seen; we had all the lower story to ourselves.
Wasn't it pleasant to unload, and deposit all things in a place of
safety! It was a great relief. Then we five girls walked on the
splendid balcony which goes around the house until we could no longer
walk, when I amused myself by keeping poor Sophie standing, since she
would not sit down like a Christian, but insisted on going to bed like
a lazy girl, as she is. When I finally let her go, it did not take her
many minutes to undress, and soon we were all ready for bed. The
Brunots had beds on the parlor floor; across the wide hall, we had a
room opposite; and next to ours, Lilly and the children were all
sleeping soundly. I ran the blockade of the hall in my nightgown, and
had a splendid romp with the girls after rolling Sophie out of bed, and
jerking Nettie up. Mother and Mrs. Brunot cried, "Order," laughing, but
they came in for their share of the sport, until an admiring crowd of
females at the door told us by their amused faces they were enjoying
it, too; so I ran the gauntlet again, and got safely through the hall,
and after a few more inroads, in one of which Miriam accompanied me,
and on which occasion I am sure we were seen in our nightgowns, we
finally went to bed. I won't say went to sleep, for I did not pretend
to doze. All our side of the house had bars, except me; and the
mosquitoes were unendurable; so I watched mother and Miriam in their
downy slumbers and lay on my hard bed for hours, fighting the torments
with bare arms.

Every now and then I heard a stir among the females above, indicating
that some few were anticipating a panic. Once they took a rush from the
fourth story, and cried they heard the cannon; twenty guns had been
fired, etc. I lay still, determined not to believe it; and presently
all subsided. I lay there for hours longer, it seemed, when Nettie at
last wandered in disconsolate to find if we were asleep; for with the
exception of Sophie, they, too, had been awake all night. I went to the
parlor with her, when she, Dena, and I, decided to dress at once and
sit on the balcony, since sleep was hopeless. Behold me in a blue
muslin flounced to the waist, with a cape, too! What a running costume!
Miriam only had time to take off her white dress before starting. All
dressed, we went to