IRC panels upen upon startup

[Kenneth G. Goutal]

Hi.  I just installed v2.2.0 a day or so ago, on WinXP.
Since then, whenever I start Pidgin up, not only does the Buddy List 
window come up,
but also the Chat (?) window, with two panels open, one for 
"freenode-connect" and one for "NickServ".
I'm relatively certain these are associated with IRC.
To be sure, I have 4 IRC channels in my Buddy List (in a group of their 
own):
    ##SecondLife
    #atari
    #wingaim
    Open Src Dev & User Cmty
(Okay, I'm a little eclectic.)  I don't see any explicit mention of 
"freenode-connect" and one for "NickServ".
Can anyone point me to the FAQ that explains why this is happening
and, I hope, how to make it stop?
Thanks.
-- Kenn