The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-08-25

hours. She hurried down three fiig ghts Of ssairt
| but only to find total darkness and silence Il
the offices she invaded. On her return, rs sh
| was pushing open heavy swing-door that le'
into the front hall, she again caught sight o
come through The ohiuks Of the drawiDg-roou
door. In her surprise, she let the swing doc
| fall to in her face, and dropped the papers sh
was carrying and when she had gathers
them mp again, and come through into th
| hall ut last, she was much startled to find her
self face to face with Ellen DAILY. fully dress
| ed, and standing close to the door, with al
extinguished candle in her hand.
"Is anything the matterf Is your mothe
ill Bride asked snxionsly, as soon as she re
covered from her start.
''Oh' no, thank you! WANTED something
and came down to fetch it. and just now m!
| candle went ont. Will you light me back t,
my room am afraid of making noise and
awakening mamma"
SIT seems to me there has been o great dea
observed anythfngP
81 dare say there has l have not beer
thinking about it till pow."
81 shall go and call John"
~ advise you not this house is famous fol
noises, aud no good has ever come of hunting
them that ever heard, There are severa
banshees, and the only thing to be done is to
grow accust toned to them. aud let them have
"You really believe that Z" cried Bride, un
D
tempt, as she noticed q peculiar intent look In
Ellen's eyes, aud o quiver in her voice, show.
ing that tears were not far of. "No wonder
the servants think they can roam about ss
ries J"
II confess to having felt uncomfort able
when my light went oot," said Ellen. meekly
''and that shall be glad to keep near you till
we get back to our bedrooms"
81 am going in here first, to pot some papers
into the press, and then shall listen again at
the head of the kitchen stairs. Come with me,
If you like"
The sound of living voices, or Bside's scep-
ticism, had clearly driven the ghosts away, for
all was perfectly still and dark when she and
Ellen returned from the housekeeper's room,
and stood in the hall looking upwards and
downwards. Bride wished to search the lower
rooms, but Ellen prcfessed great anxiety to re-
turn to her mother, and she did not like to de-
tain her. She was self disposed to set forth on
q new voyage of discovery when they parted
company at Mrs Daly's door Z; but on looking
into her own room she found Lesbia awake,
and anxious to know the caus. of her absence;
and, rather than exotic nervous fears in her,
she decided to pat aside her own curiosity and
betake hsrself to bed.
1t was not with an easy mind, however, that
she did So Several times after she had laid
fsnoying o sound, and when after many Efforts
she was at length sinking blissfully down into
an abyss of sleep, she was brought back wide
awake and distressingly alert again, by the re-
die in Ellen Daly's hand was covered by an
extingnisber, and certainly could not have
been blown ont by accident as her words i'm
so late to seek Aud what could have induced
her to leave herself designedly in the dark 7
Bride felt she should have no peace of mind
till che had fathomed these mysteries, and the
night looked an uncomfortably long space for
miserable suspicious to work ont their tor
ments ia. Nothing bat sleep could shorten it,
and for long time that relief seemed quite
unattainable. If there should be such seri-
GUS blemish as want of truth and straightfor
wardness in her brothers idol, then indeed the
sight of his infatuation would be hard to bear.
And she could not till morning dawned decide
whether the misery of seeing him continue in
delusion, or the misery of having to act herself
as the shattsrer of his dreams, would bs the
most acute.
After wishing Miss Thornley, good. hight,
Ellen stood holding the door of her room aj ar,
and watched through tae creVioe till Bride
and her light faally disappeared ; then she
emerged again, and ran quickly down stairs,
not pAusipg until she reached the drawing
room door. 1t was not so dark as it had bsen
half an houC before, for the moon had now
risen high enough to shine through the high
windows aud cross the wide dark stairscase
with bars Of cold white light Neither was it
quite dark within the drawing room, when,
after listening for a second or two, she turned
the handle and entered, for dusty streams of
moonlight came through holes in the shutters,
and made green patches of light here and there
on the floor, showing clearly two occupants,
one of whom was STOPPING over writing desk,
as if intently occupied thereat; the other stand.
ing upright in the middle of ne room, with his
arms folded, and the moonlight falling full on
his face. At tie slight sound Ellen made in
coming forward the STOPPING figure spraug mp,
and Connor hurried to meet her.
"Well, yoa plucky conspirator-you girl of
gold - he Dried; "have you got US the keyT
yes; but OBJ, Counor, this last freak of yours
has almost killed me with fright Who do You
think il was that made the noise with the
green.baize door, that frightened you into ex-
tinguisbng my csndlef'
"Ths D ally that killed his twin brother in q
duel, or the one that walks about with his
head under his arm-whicb Z"
"It was Bride Thornley, and if had not
gone boldly to meet the noise, she would
have marched straight in here, and found Us
together"
"Well, she would nos have been the only
member of her family should have had the
honor of showing to our cousin tonight"
"Sbe did me good service, as it was, for she
took me to the bousekeepers room herself, and
lifted the key of the conservatory door from
it's hook in the press over her very head while
she was arranging her papers; but oh, the
terror was in till saw her safe up stairs
apRin.p