“Oh, dear,” said his aunt and sat down by the window. “Two--two Redcoats to track in mud and dirt and scratch and tear things with their heavy shoes----” “Now, don’t worry, Aunt Martha,” Don interrupted her. “Maybe it won’t be so bad, having them here. And maybe before long General Washington will have his army ready to drive all of them out of the town.” Aunt Martha soon recovered her spirits and set about making ready for the two unwelcome guests. “I suppose if they insist on having the big front room, we’ll have to give it to them,” she said. “I don’t see any other way out of it.” [Illustration: “WHO LIVES HERE BESIDE YOURSELF, YOUNG SIRE?”] Nevertheless, she spent most of the day in cleaning the spare bedroom, and when Don looked at it that afternoon he could not help smiling. “You’ve made it the best-looking room in the house,” he said. “Maybe they’ll prefer it to the big room.” “That’s just what I had in mind,” his aunt replied and smiled. “Oh, say!” exclaimed Don, and his face suddenly became pale. “All that stuff in the cellar--what if they should discover it!” Aunt Martha shared her nephew’s agitation, and she bit her lips in perplexity. “I haven’t thought of that,” she said. “We’ll just have to run our chances and see that the door is kept locked always.” “We’d surely find ourselves in hot water if they happened to learn that it’s there,” said Don. “Oh, how I hate ’em all!” he cried impulsively. The next morning when the two soldiers came with all their equipment Don and his aunt got a surprise that for Don at least was not altogether unpleasant. One of the Redcoats was Private Harry Hawkins! He nodded and smiled at Don as he and his comrade entered the house and were shown up-stairs. The man who was with him, a short, dark-haired fellow, stopped at the door of Aunt Martha’s room. “This is it, Hawkins,” he said. “The big room on the front, the sergeant-major said, and a fine room it is. We’re in luck, you and I.” Hawkins looked at Aunt Martha and, observing the troubled expression in her eyes, said, “Is this the room you want us to occupy?” “No, it isn’t,” she replied. “That’s my room, and the one across the hall is my nephew’s. Next to his is the room I’d hoped you would occupy--since it seems you’ve got to occupy a room of some sort.” “That’s the room we’ll have, then,” said Hawkins promptly and carried his equipment into it. But his companion did not follow him; he stood looking into the big room. “Come on, Snell,” said Hawkins, laughing. “The other room is plenty big enough. Anyone would think you were six feet, five, instead of five feet, six.” Grumbling, the fellow turned away reluctantly and entered the room that Aunt Martha had made ready for them. Both Don and his aunt gave Hawkins a look of thanks and then went down-stairs. For some time they sat in silence and listened to the scuffling of feet on the floor above them. Then Don said in a low voice: “It might have been worse, mightn’t it?”