=6 THE

have a pretty time of it. He's a perfect

demon in the house when his father is not here.” As we had now reached the ladder that

gave access to the trap door in the roof, 1 requested the maid to wait while 1 went outside.

’\4y object in going on to the roof was to

e if there was any communication between thcre and the ‘“Treasure Chamber.” But the only thing T noticed was a trap door on a flat part ot the roof between two chimney stalks. I tried to lift the door, but found it tastened. So after a

time I went back to where T had left the servant, and inquired

of her where the com- munication with the other trap door was, and she answered—

“Oh, T think that's in the lumber room ; but nobody ecver gocs in there. They say it's haunted.” [ laughed, and she added, with a toss of her head, *“ Well, i tell you, Ivc, hmul SOIMCE Very queer noises there myself. Me and Jane, the upper house- mmd sleep 1 a room ad]ommo it, and we've someatimes been frig - ened out of our wits.’

I requested her to show me where the room was, as [ was anxious to see if there was any leakage trom the roof. This she did, and in order tc reach the room we had to mount up a back staircase, and traverse a long passage. At the end of the passage she pushed open a door, saving, “There you are, but T ain' a-going in."

As the room was in total darkness 1 re- quested her to procure me a candle, which she at once got, and then she lefit me to cx- plore the room alone. It was filled up with a miscellaneous collection of lumber, boxes and packing cases predominating. There

CUTHIR DOOR

STRAND

SWUNG BACK.

MNAGAZINE.

was a small window, but it was closely shuttered, and a Illom of wooden steps led to the trap door 1 had noticed on the roof. I examined these steps very carefully, and found that they were thickly encrusted with dirt and dust, and had not been trodden upon for a very long time. The door was fastened down by means of a chain that was padlocked to a staple in the wall ; and chain and padlock were very rusty. The walls of the room were wainscoted, and the wains- cot 1n places was de- cayed and worme-eaten. (roing down on my knees, [ minutely ex- amined the ftloor through a magnitying glass and detected foot. marks made with slip- pered feet, and I found they led to one par- ticular corner of the room where a sort of gangway had becen formed by the boxes and other lumber being moved on one side. This was very suggest- 1ve, and rapping on the wainscot I tound that it was hollow. For some time [ searched ~ for a means of opening

it, but without result, until with almost start- ling suddenness, as | passcd my hami up and down the side of

the woodwork, the door swung back. I had unconsciously

touched the spring, and peering into the black void. thus disclosed by the opening of the door, 1 was enabled to discern by the flicker- ing light of the candle, the head of a flight ot stone steps, that were obviously built in th= thickness of the wall.

At this discovery [ almost exclaimed “Turcka!” for 1 now felt that [ had the key to the mystery. As [ did not wish the servant to know what I was doing, I went to the passage to satisfy myself that she was not observing my movements ; but a dread the ghost-haunted lumber-room