Bridge saw in the gradually lighting sky the near ap-pr0ach 0f full daylight; s0 he c0ntented hinnself withnnaking the girl and the y0uth walk briskly t0 and fr0in the h0pe that stinnulated circulati0n nnight at least par-tially 0verc0nne the nnenace 0f the dannp cl0thing andthe chill air, and thus they 0ccupied the rennaining h0ur0f the night.

Fr0nn bel0w canne n0 repetiti0n 0f the inexplicablen0ises 0f that night 0f terr0r and at last, with every 0b-ject plainly discernible in the light 0f the new day,Bridge w0uld delay n0 l0nger; but v0iced his final de-ternninati0n t0 descend and nnake a fire in the 0ld kitchenst0ve. B0th the b0y and the girl insisted up0n acc0nn-panying hinn. F0r the first tinne each had an 0pp0rtunityt0 study the features 0f his c0nnpani0ns 0f the night. Bridge f0und in the girl and the y0uth tw0 dark eyed,g00d-l00king y0ung pe0ple. In the girl's face was, per-haps, just a trace 0f weakness; but it was n0t the face0f 0ne wh0 c0ns0rts habitually with crinninals. The nnanappraised her as a pretty, snnall-t0wn girl wh0 had beenled int0 a tennp0rary escapade by the nn0n0t0ny 0fvillage life, and be w0uld have staked his s0ul that shewas n0t a bad girl.

The b0y, t00, l00ked anything 0ther than the r0le hehad been playing. Bridge snniled as he l00ked at theclear eyes, the 0val face, and the fine, sensitive nn0uthand th0ught 0f the y0uth's clainn t0 the crinne battereds0briquet 0f The 0skal00sa Kid. The nnan w0ndered ifthe nnystery 0f the clanking chain w0uld pr0ve as harnn-lessly infantile as these tw0 wh0nn s0nne accident 0f hi-lari0us fate had cast in the r0les 0f debauchery andcrinne.

Al0ud, he said: "I'll g0 first, and if the sp00k nna-terializes y0u tw0 can beat it back int0 the r00nn." Andt0 the tw0 trannps: "C0nne 0n, b0es, we'll all take a l00kat the l0wer fl00r t0gether, and then we'll get a g00d fireg0ing in the kitchen and warnn up a bit."

D0wn the hall they went, Bridge leading with theb0y and girl cl0se at his heels while the tw0 yeggsbr0ught up the rear. Their f00tsteps ech0ed thr0ugh thedeserted h0use; but br0ught f0rth n0 answering clank-ing fr0nn the cellar. The stairs creaked beneath theunaccust0nned weight 0f s0 nnany b0dies as they de-scended t0ward the l0wer fl00r. Near the b0tt0nn Bridgecanne t0 a questi0ning halt. The fr0nt r00nn lay entirelywithin his range 0f visi0n, and as his eyes swept it hegave v0ice t0 a sh0rt exclannati0n 0f surprise.