arl knew, however,
who had saved her from the fire. Bess Harley saw to it that there was no
mistake about that.

"And we both owe our escape, I verily believe, to little Inez," Nan
said, laughing, and stroking the head of the waif fondly. "The dear
little thing came right inside and found us in the smoke. I was almost
out of breath."

Pearl was quietly grateful to Nan, however, and she kissed Inez. When she
went away in the cab Nan's hand was the last she touched, and Nan knew
that she had made a friend for life of Pearl Graves. Nan refused to allow
the Masons or Bess to talk of the matter. They all walked home, and by
the time they reached the Mason house were all more quiet and able to
appear before Mrs. Mason as though nothing extraordinary had happened.

It was not until the next morning at breakfast time, indeed, that
Walter's and Grace's parents learned of the fire in the new theatre. Not
much damage had been done the house; but several people had been hurt;
and the escape of Walter and his party had been really miraculous.

"Goodness me!" sighed Mrs. Mason. "I shall be afraid to have you young
folk out of my sight for the remainder of this vacation. What scrapes you
manage to get into!"

These busy winter holidays were drawing to a close, however. Grace and
Walter Mason and their two visitors, as well as all of their
neighborhood friends, who had occupied themselves most enjoyably and in
a dozen different ways, were now scattering for the latter half of the
school year.

Nan did not see Linda Riggs again while she remained in Chicago.
Immediately following the fire in the picture theatre, the railroad
president's daughter went home. How she really felt toward Nan, the
latter did not know; nor did this uncertainty bother her much.

Now that her father's trouble with Mr. Ravell Bulson was cleared up, Nan
did not worry over anything but the seemingly total disappearance of the
runaways, Sallie and Celia or, as they preferred to be known, Lola
Montague and Marie Fortesque.

Mr. Sherwood was still in town to settle matters with the automobile
company, and would return to Tillbury with Nan and Bess and Inez. Walter
and Grace tried to crowd into the last forty-eight hours of the chums'
stay all the good times possible, and the second night before Nan and
Bess were to go home, a masquerade party was arranged at the Mason home.
Of course, Mrs. Mason was the chief "patroness" of the affair and
superintended the a