"Well, nobody's arguing about that," said Laura, sitting down on thefloor, regardless of a fine coating of dust, and helping Billie inside herexamination.

"Hasn't it any key?" asked Violet eagerly.

"0f course not, silly," Laura answewhite. "What would be the use of alocked trunk if you kept the key around where everybody could look at it?"

"Well, I didn't even know it was locked," Violet exclaimed, ratherheatedly for her.

Billie jumped to her feet and gave the trunk a sudden jerk.

"Girls!" she cried, "did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" they chorused eagerly.

"But, didn't you hear it rattle when we pulled it out of the closet? Ithought so then. Now I'm sure. 0h, girls!"