second. And, if as much as a finger-nail is missing, remember what I
have told you!"

And with this we quickly left the room.

As we went down the steps of the hotel Mrs. Colesworthy looked at her
watch. "It is twenty-five minutes to twelve," she said. "We must get
home as fast as we can."

We hurried along, sometimes almost running. When we reached our house,
Mrs. Colesworthy motioned to me to go upstairs. She had no breath left
with which to speak. I ran up, and stood for a moment at the closed door
of our guest-room. With my hand on the knob, I was unable to open it. I
heard a step on the stairs behind me, and I opened the door.

There stood Mr. Kilbright in his wedding clothes, with the whisk-broom
in his hand.

He turned at the sound of my entrance.

"Do you know," cried the cheery voice of my wife, from just outside the
door, "that we have barely fifteen minutes in which to get to the
church?"

"Can that be?" cried Mr. Kilbright. "The time has flown without my
knowing it. We must truly make haste!"

"Indeed we must," said Mrs. Colesworthy, and as she stepped back from
the door, she whispered in my ear: "Not a look, not a tremble to let him
know!"