cried, "Bessie was too quick for you. There, quick! quick! Edwin!" He
sprang to the corner the voices came from, and the boys rushed along
the wall to avoid his arms spread out to catch them, when suddenly the
doorbell rang.

At the sound Edwin put up his hand to take off the handkerchief, but
the boys cried, "Don't take it off: if it's any one, Bessie can speak
to them in the dining-room: we don't need to stop our game."

They were not aware that to Mr. Forrester the game without Bessie was
like _Hamlet_ with the part of Hamlet left out.

"Yes," said Bessie, "just go on, and I'll see who is at the door." As
she left the kitchen she honored Mr. Forrester with a good long look:
people can feel so much at ease looking at a blind person.

The door was chained for greater security, and Bessie did not take
off the chain: she merely opened the door as far as it would open, but
seeing no one, she opened it fully and went out on the steps; still
she saw no person, although she thought whoever rang the bell had not
had time to get out of sight. Waiting a little without result, she
went back to the kitchen.

"Who was it?" cried the children.

"No one," she said.

"But the bell rang," said John.

"Of course it did," Will corroborated.