hoolgirl was
on her feet, speeding toward the far west wing and the great loft,
dreading yet eager to see what would there be revealed.

Still anxious on his own account, but from a far different cause, and
still listening at the closed door with wonder at what seemed going on
behind it, was Jack, the boot-boy. At the approach of the excited
girls, he lifted his ear from the keyhole and looked behind him, to
find himself trapped, as it were, at this end of the narrow passage by
the multitude which swarmed about him, feverishly demanding:

"Boy, what is it? What is it? Is Dorothy in there? Is Dorothy found?"

"Is Dorothy--"

Poor Jack! This was the worst yet! At full comprehension of what that
question meant, even he turned pale and his lips stuttered:

"I--I--dunno--I--Jiminy cricket!"

He must get out of that! He must--he must! Before that door was opened
he must escape!

Frantically he tried to force his way backward through the crowd which
penned him in, but could make little progress; even that being
suddenly cut off by a strong hand laid on his shoulder and the _chef_
forcing into his hand a stout crowbar, and ordering:

"Help to break her down!" at the same instant Michael, the porter,
pressing to his side armed with an ax. "Now, all together!" cried he,
and whether or no, Jack was compelled to aid in the work of breaking
in.

But it was short work, indeed, and the crowd surged through the
opening in terror of what they might behold--only to have that terror
changed into shouts of hilarious delight.

For there was Dorothy! not one whit the worse for her brief
imprisonment and happily unconscious of the anxiety which that had
caused to others. And there was Baal, the goat! Careering about the
place, dragging behind him a board to which he had been tied and was
unable to dislodge. The room was fairly lighted now by the sun
streaming through the skylight, and Baal had been having a glorious
time chasing Dorothy about the great room, from spot to spot,
gleefully trying to butt her with his horns, leaping over piles of
empty trunks, and in general making such a ridiculous--if sometimes
dangerous--spectacle of himself, that Dorothy, also, had had a merry
time.

"Oh! you darling, you darling!" "Dolly Doodles, how came you here!"
"Why did you do it? You've scared us all almost to death!" "The Bishop
has gone into town to start detectives on your track!" "The Lady
Principal--Here she is now! you've made her