the castle affords is put
at your service."

"And I suspect that it's really the best," said Harry to Dalton, as
St. Clair and Langdon went out. "There's straw under these blankets,
George, and we've got a real bed."

The moonlight shone through two windows and the cannon-shot hole,
and it was bright in the room.

"Here's a little bureau by the wall," said Dalton, "and as I intend
to enjoy the luxury of undressing, I'm going to put my clothes in it,
where they'll keep dry. You'll notice that all the panes have been shot
out of those windows, and a driving rain would sweep all the way across
the room."

"Now and then a good idea springs up in some way in that old head of
yours, George. I'll do the same."

Dalton opened the top drawer.

"Something has been left here," he said.

He held up a large doll with blue eyes and yellow hair.

"As sure as we're living," said Harry, "we're in the room of little
Miss Julia Moncrieffe, aged nine, the young lady who sent us the holly.
Evidently they took away all their clothing and lighter articles of
furniture, but they forgot the doll. Put it back, George. They'll
return to Fredericksburg some day and we want her to find it there."

"You're right, Harry," said Dalton, as he replaced the doll and closed
the drawer. "You and I ought to be grateful to that little girl whom we
may never see."

"We won't forget," said Harry, as he undressed rapidly and lay down upon
their luxurious bed of blankets and straw.

Neither of them remembered anything until they were dragged into the
middle of the room next morning by St. Clair and Langdon.

"Here! here! wake up! wake up!" cried Langdon. "It's not polite to your
hosts to be snoring away when breakfast is almost ready. Go down on a
piece of the back porch that's left, and you'll find two pans of cold
water in which you can wash your faces. It's true the pans are frozen
over, but you can break the ice, and it will remind you of home and your
little boyhood."

They sprang up and dressed as rapidly as they could, because when they
came from the covers they found it icy cold in the room. Then they ran
down, as they had been directed, broke the ice in the pans and bathed
their faces.

"Fine air," said Harry.

"Yes, but too much of it," said Dalton.

"Br-h-h-h-h, how it freezes me! Look at the icicles, George! I think
some new ones came to town last night! And what a cold river! I don't
believe there was ever a cold