The herald., 1893-12-22
TRACKED.


of three weeks duration. At Lehman
Court, q mansion situated Is miles or
30 from London, on the westIside, great
Inconvenience and some damage had
been caused by tho bursting Of water
pipe during fhe dex. In special, one
room was rendarM, so damp that its
usual occupant spencer-Lady Brown
Salter's 1sdys meid,-wss compelled
to change her sleeping place. In
stead Of sharing one of the housemaids'
beds, she chose. with her ladHship's
permission, to makeup bed for her
self in the small room, or large cup
board, situated at the end Of the corri-
dor which runs through the whole
breadth Of kenAam Court on the first
story. It was a roOm' used to store
trunks and boxes in, and~Spencer placed
some Of fhese % foundation for her
couch. Many Of these trunks had made
the voyage to India and back, for Colo
mel Sir William Brown -Salter had dis
tinguished himself not a little in John
Company's service. There had been
much extra work for all the servants at
Lehman Court that day, and it was late
before Spencer retired to her cupboard.
On getting into her bed she found
her novel couch by no means SO COM
Portable as it looked. 1t had to be re-
arranged, but on extinguishing her can
die second time she found herself as
far from sleep as ever. While she twist
I'd and turned she heard the stable
clock strike 2, and Immediately after
ward she became conscious Of subdued
sound outside her door. Remembering
the Jokes at her expense at the supper
table about the size Of her bed cham
Der, it occurred to Spencer that her
fellow servants might be going to play
her trick, to indulge in some practical
joke. So she slid from her uneasy couch,
and removing the key from the lock-
she had locked herself in on coming to
bed-she applied her eye to the key
hole. The door, as we have said, faced
directly the whole length of the corri-
dor. About two yards from her stood
. man, but not one of her fellow serv-
ants. He held lighted candle in one
hand, shading it with the other SO as
to cast the light now here, now there.
His face was concealed by a mask of
black Grape, and he was listening in
tently. A breathless minute or two
passed, and as if by magic there were
either two or three other men in the COR
ridor, all maskedin Grape, behind which
their eyes shone in the candle CLEANS.
They went and came and consulted,
noiseless as 80 many specters. In and
out of the rooms, locking doors softly
third story, now descending to the
basement; now the one holding and
shadowing the candle was left alone
again.
Spencer drew back from the keyhole
a moment, trying to think If there was
anything she could do. Sir Williams
room gave on to the corridor. He must
be murdered, thought poor Spencer, or
surely she would have heard some
sound, for he often sat late reading, and
it was round hts door that the thieves
were clustered. He was passionate
man and powerful, beloved by his serv-
ants for his bounty, though feared on
account of his temper. Surely he would
have made fight fol, it, if he had not
been taken at some cruel disadvantage.
What could she dop The alarm bell,
even If she could muster courage to try
to get to it, was quite at the other
end Of the house. Applying her eye
once more 10 the keyhole, she was terri
fed to find not only darkness, but in
the darkness some one breathing close
to the door. Then the handle softly
brushed her cheek as it was turned, and
lock and hinges we've strained by the ST.
lent pressurehgought to bear upon them
TO such q degree that instinctively she
drew back, expecting the door to be
forced in upon her. The door creaked
as the pressure relaxed, and just then
the stable clock struck'8.
As the minutes passed and silence was
unbroken, Spencer gathered courage to
Look from her spying place. The watch
man stood alone, candle in hand, in his
former place She became stiff and
cold at her post. Nothing moved that
she could hear or gee, except that the
man trimmed his candle now and then
with his fingers and: turned his head
watchfully from side to side, his eyes
cleaning behind his mask, and seeming
now and again to fix themselves on her
lurking place. AT low whistle from
the basement, he and his light vanished
together. Taking the precaution to stop
mp the keyhole, Spencer struck steel and
flint till she obtained light, then hud-
died ON few clothes, inserted the key,
turned it, stood one minute outside, in
silence and darkness, then snatohing up
her candle made rush for the only
open door in the corridor--it was her
masters.
Bound hand and foot to chair and
gagged was Sir William. The room
was in the widest confusion-boxes,
caskets, chests all turned upside down,
and their contents scattered indiscrim-
inately on the floor. Her ladyship was
in bed, bound and gagged too. With
nimble fingers Spencer set to work to
free her master. No sooner was this
accomplished than, speechless and
foaming at the month, Sir William
staggered out of ! the roqEn, and to her
dismay she heard lshim, descend the
stairs. Having released her mistress,
The lady's maid na1t hHrrisd to the
rooms Of hes, wservapts, on sall Of
whom the ken bad AfepSt ed*after
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