host," said Laura, with a chuckle, and Violet glanced
around uneasily.

"Can't you forget about ghosts for five minutes?" she asked rather
irritably, for she was tired after the long day's trip. "Just when I'm
beginning to be happy--"

"There, there," cried Billie soothingly. "Don't go and get mad, Vi,
darling, or our last hope will be gone. I guess Aunt Beatrice left it
this way. Gracious! what's that?"

"Only me opening a door," said Mrs. Gilligan from the farther end of the
room. "My, but you girls are jumpy! Better get to bed," she added,
crossing over to them with a decided step. "You're tired, and everything
will seem better in the morning. Off with you now. No, not that way," as
they started toward the hall, the way they had come in. "I've found a
door between our two rooms--it was opening that that made you jump. See?"

"A connecting door!" cried Billy delightedly. "Oh, that's fine!"

"Yes, you can lock your door, Mrs. Gilligan, and we'll lock ours, and
we'll all be as snug--"

"As bugs in a rug," finished Laura, putting an arm about Violet and
pushing her into the other room.

"Aren't you going to take your candles?" Mrs. Gilligan called after them.
"I fancy you'll need them to undress by."

"I fancy I'll need mine all night," said Laura in an undertone with a wry
little grimace, as Violet went back for the candles. "I'm just scared to
death to stay here in the dark."

"But we won't be able to keep these burning all night," said Billie,
pausing in the act of unlacing her shoe to gaze at her half-burned
candle. "They will probably burn out in a couple of hours."

Laura looked panicky.

"Well, some one will have to go down and get some more," she said, and
gazed at Billie thoughtfully.

"Goodness, you needn't look at me when you say that," said the latter,
going energetically to work on the other shoe. "I wouldn't go down into
that gloomy place again for all the money there is in the world."

"But we'll be left in the dark," said Laura, staring at Billie as if it
were all her fault.

"Who said anything about being left in the dark?" asked Violet,
returning with a candle in each hand, the flickering light illumining her
face and making her look like some saint.

"I did, and we will if you don't go down and get more candles," said
Laura, turning her fire against the newcomer.

"Go down and get candles all by myself?" asked Violet. Then she walked
over to the table and set the two candles down wi