"Only me opening a door," said Mrs. Gilligan from the farther end of the room. "My, but you girls are jumpy! Better get to bed," she added, crossing over to them with a decided step. "You're tired, and everything will seem better in the morning. Off with you now. No, not that way," as they started toward the hall, the way they had come in. "I've found a door between our two rooms—it was opening that that made you jump. See?"
"A connecting door!" cried Billy delightedly. "Oh, that's fine!"
"Yes, you can lock your door, Mrs. Gilligan, and we'll lock ours, and we'll all be as snug—"
"As bugs in a rug," finished Laura, putting an arm about Violet and pushing her into the other room.
"Aren't you going to take your candles?" Mrs. Gilligan called after them.
"I fancy you'll need them to undress by."
"I fancy I'll need mine all night," said Laura in an undertone with a wry little grimace, as Violet went back for the candles. "I'm just scared to death to stay here in the dark."
"But we won't be able to keep these burning all night," said Billie, pausing in the act of unlacing her shoe to gaze at her half-burned candle. "They will probably burn out in a couple of hours."
Laura looked panicky.
"Well, some one will have to go down and get some more," she said, and gazed at Billie thoughtfully.
"Goodness, you needn't look at me when you say that," said the latter, going energetically to work on the other shoe. "I wouldn't go down into that gloomy place again for all the money there is in the world."