on.

In the middle of the room, on a square deep-piled rug, stood a table
covered with a red cloth and surrounded by three or four solid-looking
upholstered chairs. Here were some books and papers, and directly over
the table a handsome electric chandelier hung from the ceiling of
dark-wood panels. This was the source of their present illumination.

"This here's the settin'-room," Droop explained. "An' these are the
state-rooms--that's what he called 'em."

He walked toward two doors in one of the end walls and, opening one of
them, turned the switch of the lamp within.

"'Lectric lights in it, like down to Keene," Rebecca remarked,
approaching the cabin and peering in.

She saw a small bedroom comfortably furnished. The carpet was apparently
new, and on the tastefully papered walls hung a number of small
oil-paintings.

Droop opened the other door.

"They're both alike," he said.

Rebecca glanced into the second apartment, which was indeed the
counterpart of its companion.

"Well, it wouldn't do no harm to sweep an' beat these carpets!" she
exclaimed. Then, slipping her forefinger gingerly over the edge of a
chair: "Look at that dust!" she said, severely, holding up her hand for
inspection.

But Droop had bustled off to another part of the room.

"Here's lockers under these window-seats," he explained, with a
dignified wave of the hand. "Here's books an' maps in this set o'
shelves. Here's a small pianner that plays itself when you turn on the
electricity----"

There was a stumbling crash and a suppressed cry at the foot of the
stairs.

With his heart in his mouth, Droop leaped to the chandelier and turned
out the lights; then rushed to the state-rooms and was about to turn
their switches as well, when a familiar voice greeted their ears from
below--

"Don't be scared--it's only Phoebe."

"What ever possessed--" began Rebecca, in a low tone.

But at that moment Phoebe's head appeared over the stair rail in the
light shed from the two state-rooms.

"Won't you light up again, Mr. Droop?" she said, merrily, smiling the
while into her sister's crestfallen face. "I heard you two leavin' the
house, an' I just guessed what you'd be up to. So I followed you down
here."

She dropped into one of the chairs beside the table just as Droop
relighted the lamps.

With one slender hand resting upon the table, she looked up into Droop's
face and went on:

"I was havin' a dreadful time, stumbling over stocks