themselves in a large, open square, looking up at the tall
cathedral spires. A German soldier came suddenly out of the
shadows, and the frightened children, scarcely knowing what they
did, ran up the cathedral steps and flung themselves against the
door. When the soldier had passed by, they reached cautiously up,
and by dint of pulling with their united strength succeeded at
last in getting the door open. They thrust their bundle inside,
pushed Fidel in after it, and then slipped through themselves.
The great door closed behind them on silent hinges and they were
alone in the vast stillness of the cathedral. Timidly they crept
toward the lights of the altar, and, utterly exhausted, slept
that night on the floor near the statue of the Madonna, with
their heads pillowed on Fidel's shaggy side.


VIII

GRANNY AND THE EELS

GRANNY AND THE EELS

When the cathedral bells rang the next morning for early mass,
the children were still sleeping the sleep of utter exhaustion.
It was not until the bells had ceased to ring, and the door,
opening from the sacristy near their resting place, creaked upon
its hinges, that even Fidel was aroused. True to his watchdog
instincts, he started to his feet with a low growl, letting the
heads of Jan and Marie down upon the floor with a sudden bump.
For an instant the awakened children could not remember where
they were or what had happened to them. They sat up and rubbed