called
the dungeon. The dungeon door was big and solid, and was equipped with
a heavy catch-lock. In this dungeon, Prudence kept the family
silverware, and all the money she had on hand, as it could there be
safely locked away. But more often than not, Prudence forgot to lock
it.

Mr. Starr had gone to Burlington that morning to attend special revival
services for three days, and Prudence had fifty whole dollars in the
house, an unwonted sum in that parsonage! And the dungeon was not
locked. Without a word, she slipped softly out of the room, ran down
the stairs, making never a sound in her bare feet, and saw, somewhat to
her surprise, that the dungeon door was open. Quickly she flung it
shut, pushed the tiny key that moved the "catch," and was rushing up
the stairs again with never a pause for breath.

A strange sight met her eyes in the twins' room. The twins themselves
were in each other's arms, sobbing bitterly. Fairy was still looking
hurriedly through the dresser drawers.

"They are gone," wailed Carol, "our beautiful ruby rings that belonged
to grandmother."

"Nonsense," cried Prue with nervous anger, "you've left them in the
bathroom, or on the kitchen shelves. You're always leaving them
somewhere over the place. Come on, and we'll search the house just to
convince you."

"No, no," shrieked the twins. "Let's lock the door and get under the
bed."

The rings were really valuable. Their grandmother, their mother's
mother, whom they had never seen, had divided her "real jewelry"
between her two daughters. And the mother of these parsonage girls,
had further divided her portion to make it reach through her own family
of girls! Prudence had a small but beautiful chain of tiny pearls.
Fairy's share consisted of a handsome brooch, with a "sure-enough
diamond" in the center! The twin rubies of another brooch had been
reset in rings for Carol and Lark, and were the priceless treasures of
their lives! And in the dungeon was a solid gold bracelet, waiting
until Connie's arm should be sufficiently developed to do it justice.

"Our rings! Our rings!" the twins were wailing, and Connie, awakened
by the noise, was crying beneath the covers of her bed.

"Maybe we'd better phone for Mr. Allan," suggested Fairy. "The girls
are so nervous they will be hysterical by the time we finish searching
the house."

"Well, let's do the up-stairs then," said Prudence. "Get your slippers
and kimonos, and we'll