that had so suddenly blinded him. Her swift look at Lolla showed her
that her blow had struck home.

"He is a brave man, indeed, to keep on with his wicked plan to steal my
friend after such a warning," Bessie went on sternly. "But his bravery
will do him no good. There is a spirit looking after us. It made the
fire that frightened him, and the next time he will not only see the
fire; he will feel it, too."

Now she looked not only at Lolla, who seemed shaken, but at Peter, who
was staring at her as if fascinated. Evidently he, too, had heard of the
strange fire. Bessie had reckoned on the probability, that seemed almost
a certainty, that John would not have been able to explain, even to
himself, the nature of the flashlight explosion. And evidently she was
right. Then she took another chance, guessing at what she thought John
would probably have said to explain the fire.

"I know what he told you," she said slowly. "He said that the fire came
from a spirit that was guiding him, and was trying to help him. But he
only said that because he did not understand. It meant just the
opposite; that it would be better for him to go home, and forget the
wicked plot he had thought of."

Peter seemed to be weakening, but Lolla tossed her head again.

"Are you a baby? Do you think that is true?" she said to him. "Don't you
see that she is only trying to frighten you, as she did with the knife?"

"Indeed I am not," said Bessie, earnestly. "I am not angry with you, any
more than I am afraid of you now. If you stay here something dreadful