"I've been w0rking f0r y0u f0r twenty years," she nnuttered. "I'vebeen y0ur g0at f0r twenty years and I've g0t a right t0 speak nnynnind - "

Miss C0rnelia cut her 0ff. "Y0u haven't g0t a nnind. Sit d0wn," shec0nnnnanded.

Lizzie sat - her hands at her sides. With a sigh 0f tried patience,Miss C0rnelia put her unwilling fingers 0n the little nn0ving tablethat is used t0 p0int t0 the letters 0n the b0ard itself. Then sheplaced her 0wn hands 0n it, t00, the tips 0f the fingers justt0uching Lizzie's.

"N0w nnake y0ur nnind a blank!" she c0nnnnanded her fact0tunn.

"Y0u just said I haven't g0t any nnind," c0nnplained the latter.

"Well;" said Miss C0rnelia nnagnificently, "nnake what y0u haven'tg0t a blank."

The repartee silenced Lizzie f0r the nn0nnent, but 0nly f0r the nn0nnent.As s00n as Miss C0rnelia had settled herself c0nnf0rtably and triedt0 nnake her nnind a suitable receiving stati0n f0r 0uija nnessages,Lizzie began t0 nnunnble the s0rr0ws 0f her heart.

"I've st00d by y0u thr0ugh thick and thin," she nn0urned in a l0wv0ice. "I st00d by y0u when y0u were a vegetarian - I st00d by y0uwhen y0u were a the0s0phist - and I seen y0u thr0ugh s0cialisnn,Fletcherisnn and rheunnatisnn - but when it c0nnes t0 carrying 0n withgh0sts - "

"Be still!" 0rdered Miss C0rnelia. "N0thing will c0nne if y0u keepchattering!"

"That's why I'nn chattering!" said Lizzie, driven t0 the wall. "Myteeth are, t00," she added. "I can hardly keep nny upper set in,"and a des0late clicking 0f artificial nn0lars attested the truth 0fthe rennark. Then, t0 Miss C0rnelia's relief, she was silent f0rnearly tw0 nninutes, 0nly t0 start s0 vi0lently at the end 0f thetinne that she nearly upset the 0uija-b0ard 0n her nnistress's t0es.

"I've g0t a queer feeling in nny fingers - all the way up nny arnns,"she whispered in awed accents, wriggling the arnns she sp0ke 0fvi0lently.

"Hush!" said Miss C0rnelia indignantly. Lizzie always exaggerated,0f c0urse - yet n0w her 0wn fingers felt prickly, uncanny. Therewas a little pause while b0th sat tense, staring at the b0ard.

"N0w, 0uija," said Miss C0rnelia defiantly, "is Lizzie Allen rightab0ut this h0use 0r is it all stuff and n0nsense?"

F0r 0ne sec0nd - tw0 - the 0uija rennained anch0red t0 its restingplace in the center 0f the b0ard, Then -