gh which we came into a
room.

There was a red rug over half the floor, and a brasier on three legs
filled with charcoal standing in the centre. One or two of our men had
already found the place and were lying on the rug. In one corner was a
large baking oven like a beehive, half in one and half in the room next
door. A wide shelf ran from the beehive almost to the open door. There
were two small windows, each about the size of this book wide open. Jan
and Jo sniffed. Where had they smelt that odour before?

An old woman in Albanian costume crept up to Jo and caught her by the
skirt.

"See," she said, dragging her into the next room, "here is a fine bed.
The ladies will sleep with me this night."

Jo looked at the old lady's greasy hair and filthy raiment.

"We always sleep with our own people," she said firmly.

The old lady protested. All the while our men were packing the baggage
beneath the shelf. It was a tight fit, but at last it was got in.

The professor entered once more on the scene.

"This house will do very well for the common people," he said, "but the
Herr Commandant" (meaning Jan) "and the two ladies will come over to
sleep with me."

"No, we won't," said Jan, Jo and Miss Brindley in one voice.

"Then what will you do?"

"We will give you two policemen, or all four if you like. We will pack
in here somehow. You can take the other house all to yourself."

"That will not do," said the professor. "If you are all determined to
sleep here, I too, will come here. You will need somebody to protect
you."

Jo's back went up.

"If you are afraid to sleep in the other house," she said, "you can
sleep here with us. But if you are coming here to protect us, we don't
require _you_."

"But you do not understand," said the professor kindly, as if to a
child: "there is danger. You will need me to protect you."

"Not in the least," answered Jo. "If you will say that you are afraid,
we will offer you our shelter. Otherwise you can have all four policemen
at the other house."

The professor was afraid to say that he was afraid, so after stating
that we were curious people, he went off with the guards.

With great difficulty we packed in. Cutting and Whatmough were forced to
climb on to the shelf and the brazier was pushed out of the room. One by
one we rolled up in our rugs, made pillows out of a pair of boots or a
cocoa tin, cursed each other for taking up so much space, and at last
all were jammed t