"They will say that he came into the cellar at our bidding." This girl was terribly reasonable and direct. "Hang it! I know Teddy Hamilton, the M. F. H. He'll go my bail, and yours, too, for that matter. Come, let's not give up. There _must_ be some other way out." "I wish I might believe it. Why _did_ I come?"--a bit of a wail stealing into the anger in her voice. "This is Tom Fool's Night, and no mistake," I assented ruefully. "But I am a bigger fool than you are; I had an alibi, and a good one." "An alibi? Why on earth, then, did you follow me? What is your alibi?" "Never mind now. We should still be in this miserable cellar,"--briefly. "What a night! I am so ashamed! I shall be horribly compromised." "I'll take the brunt of it all. I'm sorry; but, for the love of Heaven, don't cry, or I shall lose what little nerve I have left." "I am not crying!" she denied emphatically. "My inclination is to shriek with laughter. I'm hysterical. And who wouldn't be, with police officers and cells staring one in the face? Let us be going. That policeman outside will presently hear us whispering if we stand here much longer." There was wisdom in this. So, once again I took the candle, and we marched back. There wasn't a single jest left in my whole system, and it didn't look as if there was ever going to be another supply. We took the other side of the furnace, and at length came to a flight of wooden stairs, leading somewhere into the club. It was our last chance, or we should indeed be obliged to stay all night in some bin; for it would not be long before they searched the cellars. If this flight led into the kitchen, we were saved, for I could bluff the servants. We paused. Presently we ascended, side by side, with light but firm step. We reached the landing in front of the door without mishap. From somewhere came a puff of air which blew out the candle. I struck a match viciously against the wall---and blundered into a string of cooking-pans! It was all over, the agony of suspense! Blang! Rumpity-bumpity-blang-blang! I have heard many stage thunders in my time, but that racket beat anything and everything this side of siege-guns. Instantly the door opened and a policeman poked his head in. Before I had time to move, he grabbed me by the arm and yanked me--into the ballroom! The girl and I had made a complete circuit of the cellars, and had stumbled into the ball-room again by the flight opposite to that by which we left it. Cheerful prospect, wasn't it? The adventure had ceased to have any droll side to it. "Aha!" cried the base minion of the law. "_Here_ you are, then! Hello, everybody! Hello!" he bawled.