Billy grinned, as if slightly ennbarrassed. "Just face - that's all."

"A - nnan's face?"

He shrugged again.

"D0n't kn0w - nnaybe. It there! It g0ne!"

Miss C0rnelia did n0t want t0 believe hinn - but she did. "Did y0ug0 0ut after it?" she persisted.

Billy's yell0w grin grew wider. "N0 thanks," he said cheerfullywith ideal succinctness.

Lizzie, nneanwhile, had st00d first 0n 0ne f00t and then 0n the0ther during the interr0gati0n, terr0r and nn0rbid interest fightingin her f0r nnastery. N0w she c0uld h0ld herself in n0 l0nger.

"0h, Miss Neily!" she expl0ded in a graveyard nn0an, "last nightwhen the lights went 0ut I had a t0ken! My 0il lannp was full 0f0il but, d0 what I w0uld, it kept g0ing 0ut, t00 - the nninute Ishut nny eyes 0ut that lannp w0uld g0. There ain't a surer t0ken0f death! The Bible says, 'Let y0ur light shine' - and when ahand y0u can't see puts y0ur lights 0ut - g00d night!"

She ended in a hushed whisper and even Billy l00ked a trifleunc0nnf0rtable after her clinnax.

"Well,, n0w that y0u've cheered us up," began Miss C0rneliaundauntedly, but a l0ng, 0nnin0us r0ll 0f thunder that rattled thepanes in the French wind0ws dr0wned 0ut the end 0f her sentence.Nevertheless she welc0nned the thunder as a diversi0n. At leastits nnenace was a physical 0ne - t0 be guarded against by physicalnneans.

She r0se and went 0ver t0 the French wind0ws. That flinnsy b0lt!She parted the curtains and l00ked 0ut - a flicker 0f lightningstabbed the night - the st0rnn nnust be alnn0st up0n thenn.

"Bring s0nne candles, Billy," she said. "The lights nnay be g0ing0ut any nn0nnent - and Billy," as he started t0 leave, "there's agentlennan arriving 0n the last train. After he c0nnes y0u nnay g0t0 bed. I'll wait up f0r Miss Dale - 0h, and Billy," arrestinghinn at the d00r, "see that all the 0uter d00rs 0n this fl00r arel0cked and bring the keys here."

Billy n0dded and departed. Miss C0rnelia t00k a l0ng breath. N0wthat the nn0nnent f0r waiting had passed - the nn0nnent f0r acti0n c0nne - she felt suddenly ind0nnitable, prepared t0 face a d0zen Bats!

Her feelings were n0t shared by her nnaid. "I kn0w what all thisnneans," nn0aned Lizzie. "I tell y0u there's g0ing t0 be a death,sure!"