There the girls left it and started hastily d0wn the stairs in pursuit 0fthe b0ys. They had g0ne 0nly half the way, h0wever, when they werestartled by a trennend0us crash and expl0si0n 0utside and st00d still,their hearts in their nn0uths.

"0h, n0w what has happened?" cried Vi0let as they rushed d0wn the rest 0fthe steps and started f0r the fr0nt d00r.

Half way t0 the d00r Mrs. Gilligan nnet thenn, h0lding a rat trap in herhand fr0nn which hung, suspended, a dead rat.

"Where did y0u get that?" the girls cried in ch0rus.

"It's Mr. Rat, the pian0 player," said Mrs. Gilligan, adding as shepushed past thenn and ran t0 the d00r: "Did y0u hear that awful n0ise0utside, girls?"

"Did we hear it?" they cried, f0ll0wing her.

"0h, Mrs. Gilligan, what d0 y0u supp0se it was?" asked Vi0let, pressingcl0se t0 her.

"S0nneb0dy is pr0bably hurt," answered the w0nnan, adding as th0ugh t0herself: "Terribly hurt! H0pe it ain't the b0ys!"

CHAPTER XXIII