o!"

"On the contrary, Miss Cobb," he said politely, "I remember distinctly
regretting that you insisted on going. Besides, there was the Sherman
House."

Senator Briggs {sic} stopped in front of him. "Probably you also knew
that THAT was full, including the stables, with people from the stalled
trains," he asserted furiously.

Two by two they went in and through the hall, stamping the snow off, and
up to their old rooms again, leaving Slocum, the clerk, staring at them
as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Mr. Pierce and I watched from the piazza, through the glass.

We saw Doctor Barnes stop and look, and then go and hang over the news
stand and laugh himself almost purple, and we saw Mr. Thoburn bringing
up the tail of the procession and trying to look unconcerned. I am not a
revengeful woman, but that was one of the happiest moments of my life.

Doctor Barnes turned suddenly, and catching me by the arm, whirled me
around and around, singing wildly something about Noah and "the animals
went in two by, two, the elephant and the kangaroo."

He stopped as suddenly as he began and walked me to the door again.

"We've got 'em in the ark," he said, "but I'm thinking this forty days
of snow is nearly over, Minnie. I don't think much of the dove and the
olive-branch, but WE'VE GOT TO KEEP THEM."

"It's against the law," I quavered.

"Nonsense!" he said. "We've got to make 'em WANT to stay!"

CHAPTER XXIII

BACK TO NATURE

We gave them a good supper and Mr. Pierce ordered claret served without
extra charge. By eight o'clock they were all in better humor, and when
they'd gathered in the lobby Miss Summers gave an imitation of Marie
Dressler doing the Salome dance. Every now and then somebody would look
out and say it was still snowing, and with the memory of the drifts and
the cold stove in the railroad station behind them, they'd gather closer
around the fire and insist that they would go as soon as the road was
cleared.

But with the exception of Mr. von Inwald, not one of them really wanted
to go. As Doctor Barnes said over the news stand, each side was bluffing
and wouldn't call the other, and the fellow with the most nerve would
win.

"And, oh, my aunt!" he said, "what a sweet disposition the von Inwald
has! Watch him going up and banging his head against the wall!"

Everybody was charmed with the Salome dance, especially when Miss
Summers drew the cover off a meat platter she'd been dancing aro