it, although we were sorry about Jim. And Dal
said we would have some champagne and drink to Aunt Selina's comfort,
and we could have her teeth fumigated and send them to her. Somebody
said "Poor old Jim," and at that Bella looked up.

She stared around the group, and then she went quite pale.

"Jim!" she gasped. "Do you mean--that Jim is--out there too?"

"Jim and Aunt Selina!" I said as calmly as I could for joy. You can see
how it simplified the situation for me. "By this time they are a mile
away, and going!"

Everybody shook hands again except Bella. She had dropped into a chair,
and sat biting her lip and breathing hard, and she would not join in any
of the hilarity at getting rid of Aunt Selina. Finally she got up and
knocked over her chair.

"You are a lot of cowards," she stormed. "You deserted them out there,
left them. Heaven knows where they are--a defenseless old woman,
and--and a man who did not even have an overcoat. And it is snowing!"

"Never mind," Dal said reassuringly. "He can borrow Aunt Selina's
comfort. Make the old lady discard from weakness. Anyhow, Bella, if I
know anything of human nature, the old lady will make it hot enough for
him. Poor old Jim!"

Then they shook hands again, and with that there came a terrible banging
at the door, which we had locked.

"Open the door!" some one commanded. It was one of the guards.

"Open it yourself!" Dallas called, moving a kitchen table to reenforce
the lock.

"Open that door or we will break it in!"

Dallas put his hands in his pockets, seated himself on the table, and
whistled cheerfully. We could hear them conferring outside, and they
made another appeal which was refused. Suddenly Bella came over and
confronted Dallas.

"They have brought them back!" she said dramatically. "They are out
there now; I distinctly heard Jim's voice. Open that door, Dallas!"

"Oh, DON'T let them in!" I wailed. It was quite involuntary, but the
disappointment was too awful. "Dallas, DON'T open that door!"

Dal swung his feet and smiled from Bella to me.

"Think what a solution it is to all our difficulties," he said easily.
"Without Aunt Selina I could be happy here indefinitely."

There was more knocking, and somebody--Max, I think--said to let them
in, that it was a fool thing anyhow, and that he wanted to go to bed and
forget it; his feet were cold. And just then there was a crash, and part
of one of the windows fell in. The next blow from outside br