for an answer, he went on, "Let's go
back in the other room a minute. Come on, all of you." In the
living-room, he hurried to the telephone, and spoke to the operator in
a low voice. "Call the police headquarters, and have them send two or
three men to the Methodist parsonage, right away. We've got a burglar
locked in a closet, and they'll have to get him out. Please hurry."

At this, the girls crowded around him again in renewed fear.

"Don't be scared," he said calmly, "we're all right. He's in there
safe enough and can't get out for a while. Now, tell me about it. How
did you get him in the closet? Begin at the beginning, and tell me all
about it."

Carol began the story with keen relish. "I woke up, and thought I
heard some one in the room. I supposed it was Prudence. I said,
'Prudence,' and nobody answered, and everything was quiet.' But I felt
there was some one in there. I nudged Lark, and she woke up. He moved
then, and we both heard him. He was fumbling at the dresser, and our
ruby rings are gone. We heard him step across the room and into the
closet. He closed the door after him, didn't he, Lark?"

"Yes, he did," agreed Lark. "His hand was on the knob."

"So we sneaked out of bed, and went into Prudence's room and woke her
and Fairy." She looked at Connie, and blushed. "Connie was asleep,
and we didn't waken her because we didn't want to frighten her. We
woke the girls,--and you tell the rest, Prudence."

"We didn't believe her, of course. We went back into their room and
there was no one there. But the rings were gone. While they were
looking at the dresser, I remembered that I forgot to lock the dungeon
door, where we keep the money and the silverware, and I ran down-stairs
and slammed the door and locked it, and went back up. I didn't hear a
sound down-stairs."

Mr. Allan laughed heartily. "Well, your burglar was in that closet
after the money, no doubt, and he didn't hear you coming, and got
locked in. Did you make any noise coming down the stairs?"

"No. I was in my bare feet, and I tried to be quiet because if there
was any one in the house, I did not want him coming at me in the dark.
I ran back up-stairs, and we looked in father's room. I thought father
had forgotten to take his watch with him, but it wasn't there.--Do you
really think it was Sunday he forgot it, Fairy?"

"No," said Fairy, "it was there this afternoon. The burglar's got it
in the dungeon with hi