ositive pain.

"I had to come. I could not keep away," he whispered.

"I was just dreaming that you were with me," whispered Katie, "and it
all seems so awfully natural. But won't the others see you?"

"H-s-s-s-s-sh!" said Harry. "They're all sound asleep."

Katie now raised herself up on her elbow, while Harry remained
kneeling on the floor.

"I think it's so lovely," she said. "It's so awfully nice, and jolly,
and all that--in this mysterious old castle; and here, lo and behold!
_you_ come popping in upon one just like a romance."

"H-s-s-s-s-sh! you mustn't speak."

"But it's so awfully nice, you know, I must speak, and, besides,
we're only whispering."

"Well, whisper lower, and closer."

Katie held her head closer to Harry, and thus these two, for purely
precautionary purposes, carried on the rest of the conversation in
that position. And their heads were so close that they touched; and
their whispers were very soft and low. But all this was necessary;
for if they had not taken these precautions, they might have wakened
up old Mrs. Russell, and then, as a matter of course, there would
have been the mischief to pay.

"There's too much moonlight here," said Harry. "Come over inside the
old fireplace, and we'll be in the dark."

"Oh, that will be so nice!" said Katie. And she at once got up and
stole away to the deep, dark fireplace, where both of them were
wrapped in impenetrable gloom. It was well that they did so, for at
that moment something waked Mrs. Russell, who called out,

"Katie!"

"Well, auntie," said Katie, from the depths of the fireplace.

"I thought I heard a noise."

"Oh no, auntie; you've been dreaming," said Katie, in a tone of sweet
sympathy. "Go to sleep again, poor dear."

And auntie sank back into the land of dreams. After a little
judicious waiting they were able to resume their interrupted
conversation.

"How, in the name of wonder," said Katie, "did you ever, ever manage
to get here?"

Harry bent down, and in a low, very low, faint whisper told her all
about it, dwelling upon every little detail, and not forgetting to
mention how he had longed to see her, and had risked everything for
it. And Katie kept interrupting him incessantly, with soft cooing
whispers of sympathy, which were exceeding sweet and precious.

And Katie proceeded to tell that she had been dreaming--and wasn't it
funny?--about him; that she thought he had got into one of the
windows, and was about to