While Billie was dressing the two girls fell asleep again, and as she turned to look at them she almost wished that she had followed their example.

“But I knew I couldn’t sleep,” she said, turning away, “and, besides, I’m getting very hungry.”

But when she started down the broad staircase she found that she was the only one stirring in the house, and a strange, lonesome feeling took possession of her.

“Ugh,” she cried, glancing about her distastefully, “it’s the gloomiest place I ever did see.  I’ll be glad when we leave it.  That is, I would be,” she added wistfully, “if only Chet and I were going with the others to boarding school.”

She wandered into the room where the old piano stood and looked at it musingly for a few minutes.  Then suddenly a thought struck her, and she clapped her hands gleefully.

“I wonder—­” she said, then, remembering an old rat trap that she had come across several days ago, ran into the pantry to get it.  She baited it with a fresh piece of cheese and set it carefully on the piano.

“Now,” she said, standing back and regarding her work with satisfaction, “we shall see what we shall see!”

CHAPTER XXII

A THRILLING DISCOVERY

It was ten o’clock before the girls finally came down, and it was still later before the boys appeared.  Mrs. Gilligan and Billie had had breakfast together, and Billie had confided to the older woman her suspicions in regard to the ghostly player of the old piano.

“But we won’t tell the boys and girls,” Billie had said, with a delightful sense of conspiracy.  “We’ll wait and see if it works.”

As the young people came in, looking famished, Mrs. Gilligan rose and put some cold muffins in the oven to heat.

“You won’t get very much to eat,” she warned them.  “Billie and I had our breakfast at a respectable hour, and now you’ve got to take what’s left.”

“I don’t care what you give us, as long as it’s food,” said Ferd, looking about him anxiously.  “I’m just about starved to death.”

“It seems to me I’ve heard that remark somewhere before,” said Billie, laughing at him.  “Hurry up and eat, you folks,” she added, as she set a dish of fried hominy before them.  “We girls haven’t really made a thorough examination of the attic yet, and I’m just dying to poke into all the corners.”

“Yes, I always did like attics,” said Laura, adding, as she swallowed a delicious morsel:  “But, I like fried hominy more!”

“Won’t you come too?” Violet asked the boys, as, their breakfast over, the girls started up to the attic.  “We’d love to have you and you might find it interesting.”

“No, thanks,” said Teddy decidedly.  “I can think of lots better things to do than go roaming about a hot old attic when the thermometer is ninety-six in the shade.  I’m going for a walk in the woods.  How about it, fellows?”