He vaulted lightly upon the table as he spoke, and taking the chair that Peggy handed him placed it firmly upon the table, mounting thereupon. With a creek that set the girl's heart to beating the trap-door was swung open, and the youth drew himself slowly into the chamber above. "I say," he said, peering down at Peggy, laughingly, "this is jolly. It's as warm as toast and there is a fur robe up here. If I don't answer you at any time you will know, my cousin, that I have gone to sleep." [Illustration: "CLOSE THE DOOR."] "Close the door, Clifford," exclaimed Peggy. "I shall be uneasy until thou art hidden." "Don't be that, little cousin," he said almost gaily. "I feel like another man already. I shall do royally, and I doubt if any one would think of looking up here for an escaped Englishman." He closed the door as he finished speaking, and heaving a sigh of relief Peggy lifted the chair from the table and set it against the wall. She had scarcely resumed her task of washing the pots and pans when the door opened and Sally entered. She glanced about expectantly. "I thought I heard thee talking to some one," she remarked. "Isn't thee ever going to get through with those pots and pans, Peggy? Let me help thee. We want thee to come in with us." "Now you all jest go right erlong," spoke Sukey, who had followed Sally into the room. "Yer ma, she come up and she say, 'Tell Miss Peggy dat she am wanted in de sittin'-room right now.' Jest go right erlong, chile. Sukey'll finish up heah." "All right, Sukey." Peggy relinquished the task to the black, and started for the door, saying in a tone that Clifford might hear: "I will be out presently to see how thee gets along." "Ef I doan git erlong any fas'er dan you all dese dishes gwine ter be heah twel Chrismus," grumbled the darkey. "An' some-body's muss'd my floah." Peggy gave a startled glance at the sand, where telltale traces of her cousin's presence were plainly in evidence. From the entry door to the kitchen were tracks of snow, and on the sand in the kitchen there were wet spots where the snow had melted. Clearly they must be obliterated. "I'll fix the floor, Sukey," she said, beginning to brush up the wet sand. "Sally, bring some dry sand from the box, please, and we will have this fixed in a jiffy. Thee must not expect thy floor to keep just so, Sukey, when there is so much company." Presently, the floor resanded and the entry way swept, the two girls started for the sitting-room. Peggy was thoughtful and Sally too, for the nonce, was silent. "Clifford will be all right where he is for a short time," mused Peggy. "If he has to stay there for any length of time, though, 'twill be most uncomfortable. I wonder if it would not be best to consult with mother? Perchance she could think of some way out of the difficulty."