“We left the key in the door outside,” said Dick, in a low whisper.

“You ninnies!” exclaimed Sam, “somebody saw you and has locked us in.”

“Some of the boys, to plague us,” said John Stebbins.

“Mighty great secrecy, now,” said Sam, “if half the boys in town know we are here.  It all comes of that great basket of provisions you saw fit to bring round.”

“You’ll be glad enough of it,” said John Stebbins, “if we have to spend the night here.”

“Let’s have it now,” said Jack.

“We may as well occupy ourselves that way,” said Sam, in a resigned tone, “till they choose to let us out.”

“Suppose we go up to the room with the bed and the sofa,” said John Stebbins; “and we’ve got a surprise for you.  There’s a pie,—­let’s eat that.”

They stumbled their way back.  The provident John Stebbins had laid in more candles, and they found an old table and had a merry feast.

Sam and Jonas had their books.  When Sam had hold of a fresh Latin book he could not keep away from it.  Jonas’s mind was busy with a new invention.  The boys thought he would make his fortune by it.  He was determined to invent some use for coal ashes.  They were the only things that were not put to some use by his mother in their establishment.  He thought he should render a service to mankind if he could do something useful with coal ashes.  So he had studied all the chemistry books, and had one or two in his pockets now, and drew out a paper with H O, and other strange letters and figures on it.  The other boys after supper busied themselves with arranging the room for a night’s sleep.

“It’s awful jolly,” said Dick.  “This bed will hold four of us.  I’ll sleep across the foot, and Sam shall have the sofa.”

But Sam rose up from his study.  “I’ve no notion of spending the night here.  The door must be open by this time.”

He went to the window that looked out on the veranda.  There was a heavy rain-storm; it was pouring hard.  It was hard work getting down to the door in the dark.  The candle kept going out; and they found the door still locked when they reached it.

“Why not spend the night?” said Jonas.  “They’ll have got over their worries at home by this time.”

“Nobody could come up here to see after us in this rain,” said Sam.  “I suppose they think that as we have made our bed we may as well sleep in it.”

Sleep they did until a late hour in the morning.  All the windows but the one upon the veranda closed with shutters.  They woke up to find snow and rain together.  They went all over the house to find some way of getting out, but doors and windows were well closed.

“It’s no use, boys,” said Sam.  “We’ve tried it often enough from outside to get in, and now it is as hard to get out.  I was always disgusted that the windows were so high from the ground.  Anyhow, father or some of the folks will be after us sometime.  What was it you told mother?” Sam asked.