POP mail locked by Mozilla

I am running Mac OS X v10.3.9, and Mozilla v1.7.8 --

For some unexplained reason, the POP mail I usually download
directly into Mail and News Groups in Mozilla has been literally
locked out by the software. I have wracked my brain trying to 
recall if I've made any pref changes over the past 10 days but
I simply cannot nail anything down.

Without benefit of a snapshot, picture this:

[Acct:] * woodlark(-99)at-newsguy.com

   ^Inbox (1291)
|
|____Drafts
|____Templates

...etc.       

Directly at the point of the * (asterisk) above, there is a
clever little gold padlock, and that sucker is locked up
tighter than a drum. So, for now, I'm reading (it's a PITA!)
my newsguy.com mail on their Web Mail site...

Any idea how I might correct this and get life back to it's
normal miserable self? Not to mention access to my mail! ;-)

Thanks for your assistance.

pb...

dr o p  th e  -9 9 fo r  e m ai l