a passing tram-car. Once in a position
where she could be seen she called loudly for help. A little street arab
spied her first, and stood gaping and pointing. In about half a minute a
crowd collected. Somebody ran for a policeman, others shouted to Lesbia
to stay where she was. In a short time a window-cleaner arrived with a
long ladder. He mounted and came to the rescue. Lesbia climbed down into
the street feeling exceedingly foolish, and ashamed of having made such
a commotion in the city. The policeman was kind, and the crowd
sympathetic, but it was hardly nice to be the centre of so very much
attention. People were standing up on the tops of tram-cars to watch,
carts and vans stopped to ask what was the matter, and those on the
outside of the ring were even beginning to call for a doctor and an
ambulance, imagining that she was injured. For a minute or two all
traffic was suspended.

Fortunately the policeman knew where the caretaker of the Guild Hall
lived, and sent a boy to fetch him. He arrived with his keys, unlocked
the big door, and went with Lesbia to release the other prisoners, who
were waiting and wondering what had been happening.

"I never felt so glad in my life as when I heard the key grating in the
lock," said Marion, with a sigh of relief, as they walked downstairs.
"No more museum for me, thanks. I shall be terrified ever to go inside
the place again."

"Why, it wouldn't be likely to happen twice," laughed Lesbia.

"You never know. The door might bang suddenly and get jammed. I wouldn't
risk it. If you knew the agonies I suffered in there. I wonder my hair
didn't go white, like the Prisoner of Chillon's. I tell you I heard a
rat. _I did really!_ It was gnawing away somewhere. I'd rather face a
tiger than a rat. No. You may call it shell-shock, or mental kink, or
lunacy, or anything you like, but nothing in this wide world will induce
me to go into the Guild Hall again--not even to my own wedding if it was
the only place where I could be married. _That's_ how I feel about it."

CHAPTER XIX

Alack!

Of course, as bad luck would have it, Miss Ormerod had been on the edge
of the crowd outside the Guild Hall, had recognized Lesbia Ferrars
descending the ladder, had been very much scandalized at the occurrence,
and after making full inquiries seemed to arrive at the rather
unreasonable conclusion that it was all Lesbia's fault.

"You ought to have left the museum with the other girls an