Adelaide appreciated the former reason and Mr. Schwarmer the latter. "That's right, Fons," said Mr. Schwarmer, "you must have your siege all fixed so nobody will get hurt, most assuredly you must. You'd better leave out some of the most striking things than to have anybody struck blind. I don't know of anybody on this side of the drink that would be willing to be made black and blue all over or have his hair burned off by the falling of a burning tower, as old Crags did at a Pyro-show in London." "You forget that even his willingness didn't hold out," laughed Bombs. "He clothed himself with asbestos for the last night." "Don't know as I blame him much and I'm sure Addie wouldn't blame him at all, most assuredly I am," nodded Schwarmer significantly. Adelaide and her mother came out a moment later dressed for the library. Bombs looked at Adelaide as though he had never seen her before, made his lowest bow and went to his rehearsal. It was well he did for one of the Pyro-men was on the point of charging a motor that would have laid Yorktown in ashes before the siege began. As it was, however, the siege came off at the appointed time and was witnessed by a large majority of the people of Killsbury besides the Schwarmer guests that came up on the evening train. The best that can be said of the siege is that it passed off very smoothly and without incident. Historically considered it was just about as valuable as the famous pyro-show of the burning of Rome, where Nero goes down beneath a falling pillar of fire. The siege of Yorktown ended with the going down of Lord Cornwallis and his 8,000 soldiers into the pyrotechnic gulf especially prepared for them. The audience applauded and Adelaide was feeling relieved to think that all was over when a vociferous encore set in and Mr. Bombs came on the stage. He looked amazingly brilliant. He had all his jewels on surely, and more too, she thought. There seemed to be a nest of them in the curl of jet black hair on his forehead. Was he going to do that tiresome siege over again? No, he would make a bow and a speech, and that would end it certainly. He began: "The London Pyro-king who boasts of his prowess in this country, has invented a piece which he calls '_Eagle Screams_'. Turn about is fair play. I have invented a piece which I have named '_Johnny Bull's Bellows_.' You will now have the pleasure or grief of looking Johnny full in the face and listening to his bellowings." He bowed again more politely and gracefully than before--as graceful as a--serpent, she finally put it and "polite enough to shake hands with a crab," as the Indians say. She had never seen him look so splendid--so--startling; but she liked him less than ever.