Yet she little thought how severely her courage was to be tested that night.
She and Grace had scarcely laid their heads upon their pillows ere they fell into profound slumber.

Lulu did not know how long she had slept, but all was darkness and silence within and without the house, when something, she could not have told what, suddenly roused her completely.
She lay still, trying to recall the events of the past day and remember where she was; and just as she succeeded in doing so a strange sound, as of restless movements and the clanking of chains, came from beneath the bed.
Her heart seemed to stand still with fear; she had never before, in all her short life, felt so terrified and helpless.
"What can it be ?" she asked herself.

"An escaped criminal--a murderer--or a maniac from an insane asylum, I suppose; for who else would wear a clanking chain?
and what can he want here but to kill Gracie and me?
I suppose he got in the house before they shut the doors for the night, and hid under the bed till everybody should be fast asleep, meaning to begin then to murder and rob.

Oh, I do wish I'd looked under the bed while all the gentlemen were about to catch him and keep him from hurting us! But now what shall I do?
If I try to get out of the bed, he'll catch hold of my foot and kill me before anybody can come; and if I scream for help, he'll do the same.

The best plan is to lie as quiet as I can, so he'll think I'm still asleep; for maybe he only means to rob, and not murder, if nobody wakes up to see what he's about and tell of him.