e. The pond was below; 'twas fed by a spring from
above; she had trenches dug so that spring-water flowed right spang
through the roots of that chestnut into the pond; and what could
follow except what did? I'm powerful sorry it's happened but I can't
help bein' common-sensible over it."

"I hate common-sense!" cried Molly, coming to the support of her
friend. "Anyway, I don't see what good we girls do standing here in
this draughty hall. Let's go to bed."

"And leave the house wide open this way?"

Dorothy's sense of responsibility was serious enough to her though
amusing to the others, and it was Monty who brought her back to facts
by remarking:

"The house always has been taken care of, Dolly Doodles, and I guess
it will be now. Jim and I will get some axes and lop off these
branches that forced the door in and prop it shut the best way we can.
Then I'll go down to the lodge with him to sleep for he says there's a
room I can have. See? You girls will be well protected!" and he nodded
toward the group of servants gathered at the rear of the great hall.
"So you'd better take Molly's advice and go up-stairs."

Dolly wasn't pleased to be thus set coolly aside in "her own house"
but there seemed nothing better to do than follow this frank advice;
therefore, taking a hand of each of her girl friends, she led the way
toward her own pretty chamber and two small rooms adjoining.

"Aunt Betty thought we three'd like to be close together, and anyway,
if we had all come that I wanted to invite we'd have to snug up some.
So she told Dinah to fix her dressing-room for one of you--that's this
side mine; and the little sewing-room for the other. She's put single
beds in them and Dinah is to sleep on her cot in this wide hall
outside our doors. It seemed sort of foolish to me, first off, when
darling Auntie planned it, as if anything could happen to make us need
Dinah so near; but now--My! I can't stop trembling, somehow. I was so
frightened and sorry."

"I'm sorry, too, and I'm scared, too; but I'm sleepier'n I'm ary one,"
yawned Alfaretta.

"I'm sleepy, too;" assented Molly; and even the excited Dorothy felt a
strange drowsiness creeping over her. It would be the correct thing,
she had imagined, to lie awake and grieve over the loss of Mrs.
Calvert's beloved tree, which would now be cut into ignominious
firewood and burned upon a hearth; but--in five minutes after her head
had touched her pillow she was sound asleep as he