Lemuel came forward, full of his unfitness for the sight of men, but gathering a little courage when he found the dining-room so dark. He descended to the basement and opened the door of the kitchen, looked in, and shut it again. “Yes, ma'am, she's there.” “Oh!” Sibyl seemed to hesitate. Then she said: “Light the gas down there, hadn't you better?” “I don't know but I had,” Lemuel assented. But before he could obey, “And Lemuel!” she called down again, “come and light it up here too, please.” “I will as soon as I've lit it here,” said Lemuel. An imperious order came back. “You will light it here _now,_ please.” “All right,” assented Lemuel. When he appeared in the upper entry and flashed the gas up, he saw Sibyl standing at the reception-room door, with her finger closed into a book which she had been reading. “You're not to say that you will do one thing when you're told to do another.” Lemuel whitened a little round the lips. “I'm not to do two things at once, either, I suppose.” Sibyl ignored this reply. “Please go and get your supper, and when you've had it come up here again. I've some things for you to do.” “I'll do them now,” said Lemuel fiercely. “I don't want any supper, and I sha'n't eat any.” “Why, Lemuel, what is the matter with you?” asked the girl, in the sudden effect of motherly solicitude. “You look very strange, you seem so excited.” “I'm not hungry, that's all,” said the boy doggedly. “What is it you want done?” “Won't you please go up to the third floor,” said Sibyl, in a phase of timorous dependence, “and see if everything is right there? I thought I heard a noise. See if the windows are fast, won't you?” Lemuel turned and she followed with her finger in her book, and her book pressed to her heart, talking. “It seemed to me that I heard steps and voices. It's very mysterious. I suppose any one could plant a ladder on the roof of the L part, and get into the windows if they were not fastened.” “Have to be a pretty long ladder,” grumbled Lemuel. “Yes,” Sibyl assented, “it would. And it didn't sound exactly like burglars.” She followed him half-way up the second flight of stairs, and stood there while he explored the third story throughout. “There ain't anything there,” he reported without looking at her, and was about to pass her on the stairs in going down. “Oh, thank you very much, Lemuel,” she said, with fervent gratitude in her voice. She fetched a tremulous sigh. “I suppose it was nothing. Yes,” she added hoarsely, “it must have been nothing. Oh, let _me_ go down first!” she cried, putting out her hand to stop him from passing her. She resumed when they reached the ground floor again. “Aunty has gone out, and Jane was in the kitchen, and it began to grow dark while I sat reading in the drawing-room, and all at once I heard the strangest _noise_.” Her voice dropped deeply on the last word. “Yes, it was very strange indeed! Thank you, Lemuel,” she concluded.