chairs
nearer to the fire. "Now all we need is something to roast or toast, it
doesn't much matter which."

"That reminds me," said Betty, turning accusing eyes upon Roy and
Mollie, whose faces were clearly outlined in the dancing fire-light.
"You two people over there seem to have a secret that you don't want to
share with us. I think Mrs. Irving knows," she went on, turning an
accusing eye on the chaperon where she sat in the midst of the circle,
"but she won't let on. Suppose you tell the rest of us what it is."

"Well, Mollie said something about a fire," Roy admitted, "and I thought
a couple of boxes of marshmallows wouldn't be unwelcome; so, when the
rest of you were all busy buying other things, Mollie and I slipped off
and got them. Where are they, Mollie?"

"I'll get them," she answered, rising reluctantly from her comfortable
chair. "I hid them. I knew that if Grace once had an inkling they were
in the house she would never rest till she found them. In that case----"
she paused impressively, and looked about her, "there wouldn't have been
one left by to-night."

They laughed, well knowing the truth of this remark, while Grace gave a
sigh at being so misunderstood.

A few moments later, Mollie had returned with the cherished sweetmeats
and the boys were busily engaged in the process of toasting them on the
ends of long wire forks made especially for that purpose.

"Um--um, this is good," said Betty, biting off the end of a delicious
morsel. "Why didn't you buy three boxes while you were about it, Roy?"

"That's all you get----" Roy was beginning, when Mollie interrupted him,
speaking dreamily.

"Wasn't he a funny old man, Roy?" she said--"the one who sold us the
candies, I mean."

"Yes, I guess he must have been in his dotage," Roy agreed. "In five
minutes he told us all his life's history and then some."

"That's pretty good," said Allen with interest, while he dangled his
marshmallow perilously near the leaping flames. "I bet you couldn't do
as well."

"I know I couldn't," Roy answered modestly. "That old chap was a past
master all right. Some of the things he said were interesting, though.
Weren't they, Mollie?"

"Very," said Mollie, while she stared fixedly at the fire. "Interesting
and--a little creepy," she added.

The girls started and leaned forward eagerly, Mrs. Irving and the boys
evincing equal interest.

"Creepy!" Amy repeated, in awed tones. "Oh, Mollie, what do you mean?"

"Jus