and Mrs. Schofield, it was rolling
grandly down the stairs.
Mr. Schofield had only a hurried glimpse of it as it reached the
bottom, close by the front door.
"Grab that thing!" he shouted, dashing forward. "Stop it! Hit
it!"
It was at this moment that Sam Williams displayed the presence of
mind that was his most eminent characteristic. Sam's wonderful
instinct for the right action almost never failed him in a
crisis, and it did not fail him now. Leaping to the door, at the
very instant when the rolling cape touched it, Sam flung the door
open--and the cape rolled on. With incredible rapidity and
intelligence, it rolled, indeed, out into the night.
Penrod jumped after it, and the next second reappeared in the
doorway holding the cape. He shook out its folds, breathing hard
but acquiring confidence. In fact, he was able to look up in his
father's face and say, with bright ingenuousness:
"It was just laying there. Do you know what I think? Well, it
couldn't have acted that way itself. I think there must have been
sumpthing kind of inside of it!"
Mr. Schofield shook his head slowly, in marvelling admiration.
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