Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-03-05

out or her room ill u 9 middle of the night. Inc porter, alarmed by the banging of the door' met her hurry.ng headlong down the stars m search of tEe first human being she could lind to keep Ger company. Consider aDly surprised at this last manifestation of the famous English eccentricity," the man looked at the hotel register and led the lady upstairs again to the room occupied by her maid. The maid was not asleep, and more wonderful still, was not even undressed. She received her mistress quietly. When they were alcne, and when Mrs. Norbury had, as 8 matter of necessity, taken her attendan, into her confidence, the woman made a very strange reply.
 "I lave been asking about the hotel at the servants supper to-night,' she said. "The valet of one of the gentlemen staying here has heard that the late Lord Montbarry was the last person who lived in the palace before 1t was made into hotel. The room he died ln, ma'am, was the room you slept in last night. Your room tonight is the room just above it. said nothing for fear of fright ening you. For my own part, have passed the night as you see, keeping my light ill and reading my Bible. In my opinion, no mem- Der of your family can hope to be happy or comfortable in this house."
 "What do you means"
 "Please to let me explain myself, ma'am. When MT. Henry Westwick was here-I have this from the valet, too-hs occupied the room his brother died in without knowing it-like you For two nights he never closed his eyes, Without any reason for it-the valet heard him tell the gentlemen in the coffee room-he could not sleep: he felt so low and so wretch d in himself. And, what is more, when day. time came, he couldn't even eat while he was under this roof. You may laugh at me, ma'am-but even a servant may draw her own conclusions. It's my conclusion that something happened to my lord, which we none of us know about, when he died in this house. His ghost walks in torment until he can tell it! The living persons related to him are the persons who feel he is near them-the persons who may yet seq him ill the time to come. Don't, pray don't stay any longer in this dreadful place! wouldn't stay another night here myself-no, not for anything that could be offered mel"
 Mrs. Norbury at once set her servants mind at ease on this last point.
 q don't think about it as you do," she said, gravely. "But I should like to speak to my brother of what has happened. We will ga back to Milan"
 Some hours necessarily elapsed before they could leave the hotel by the first train in the forenoon.
 In that interval Mrs. Norbury's maid found an opportunity of confdentially in- forming the valet of what had passed be- tween her mistress and herself. The valet had other friends, to whom he related the circumstances ill his turn In due course of time the narSative, passing from m uth to mouth, reached the ears of the manager. He instantly saw the credit of the hotel was in danger unless something was done to retrieve the character of the room numbered Fourteen. English travellers, well acquainted with the I.eerage of their native country, informed him Chat Henry Westwick and Mrs. Norbury were by no means the only members of the Mont barry family. Curiosity might bring more of them to the hotel after hearing what had happened. The managers ingenuity easily hit on the obvious means of misleading them in this case. The numbers of all the rooms were enameled in blue on white china plates, screwed to the doors. He ordered new plate to be prepared, bearing the number "13A," and he kept the room empty, after it. tenant for the time being had gone away until the plate was ready. He then renum. bered the room, placing the removed Number Fourteen on the door of his own room lon the second aoorl which, not being to let, had not previously been numbered atall, By this de. vice Number Fourteen disappeared at once and forever from the books of the hotel as the number of a bedroom to let.
 Having warned the servants to beware o1 gossiping with travellers on the subject of the changed numbers. under penalty of being dismissed, the manager composed his mind with the reflection that he had done his duty to his employers. "Now," he thought to him self, with excusable sense of triumph, "let the whole family come here, if they ikel The hotel Is match for them"