The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-12-03

TUT ne mas DIODdDls HSdEd dttSdNy
something of the weird associations
which cling to the house and its owners,
and of the mysterious secret said to be
known only to the head of the family,
to his heir, and to one other persona
secret so grim and terrible as to affect
the whole lives of those who learn it,
and make them different from other
! men.
| No clue to the mystery has ever been
given by any one Of the three depositar-
les of it: but popular belief has long
conneeter it with a seret chamber in the
castle, which rumor assigns as the hab-
tation of a strange half-human creature
of terrifying aspect and fabulous age,
the incarnate embodiment Of the curse
which nests upon the house. In the
gayest moments enjoyed by those who,
/ during the bright days of early autumn,
throng the guest chambers of the castle,
there is always an indefinabIe feeling of
some weired presence within its walls.
I MY dear young lady," were the
words of the host to one who was pay
! ing him her first visit. as he bade her
/ of ladies to sit up late in one another's
rooms. chatting and so on. Now, that
i is not allowed here. When YOU go to
i your room tonight remain in it and
lock the door," Once on a. wet summers
afternoon, some young people were en-
joying a noisy game of billiard-fives
4 in the hall. While the merry din was
at it's highest. the tall, bowed figure of
the host was suddenly observed to be.
standing in the midst of the party. 81
| 1zraO 70 ocly ~ I. To- LII
quiet, courteous tones, ''to go up to
your rooms at once. and to remain in
them until the bell rings, when you
will be quite at liberty to come down
again. Instantly, like the Arabs of
the poem, the players silently stole
away to their respective chambers.
After the lapse of some 20 minutes a
bell did ring. Down they all came, and
resumed their game where it had been
broken off. No allusion was made by
any one to the mysterious bellest they
\ had received. u
In quiet corner of the old castle
there is a quaint little chapel, dating
4 from the Restoration, decorated by
/ Dutch artist Of the time, and fitted up
In recent days with rich altar and
other accessories by the present own
er, who spends much time there engaged
in solitary devotions. A year or two
ago young officer. whose visit had
been shortened by a sudden summons
to rejoin his regiment, had arranged
to leave the castle at an. early hour in
the morning. Quitting his chamber
about dawn he took "a wrong turning
-. in the uncertain light and pushing open
a swing door, found himself in the
chapel, which he had not before enter
ed. At the far end he observed with
great surprise a motionless figure kneel-
ing near the altar, and moved noise
lessly up to see who it was. He reco-
gnized his host. still in evening dress,
as he had parted from him some seven
hours previously.
! A young medical man was not long
4 ago staying at the castle, by the in
vitation Of its owner, who had made
his acquaintance abroad, and being
something Of an invalid, had asked him
to come and take a few weeks holiday
in Scotland, and the same time to give
him the benefit Of his professional skill.
A room was assigned to him in one of
the towers and he was in the full en-
Il joyment of his visit when it was sud
denly brought to an end in strange
/ fashion. -s'.s~
\ Coming home Unexpectedly early one
afternoon from shooting Qeaving most
of his fellow guests still in the stub
bles,) and mounting to his turret
chamber, he noticed singular circum-
stance. A stain which he had often
observed in the carpet under the win
dow was now visible exactly at the op-
posite corner Of the room, showing that
during his few hours, absence the whole
Of the furniture must have been moved
out of the apartment and the carpet
taken UP. The impulse came upon him
to repeat the process. Out into the pas
sage, accordingly, went bed, chairs,
tables, wardrobe and everything
else; up came the carpet, and there, in
the center of the floor, was the inevi-
table trap-door. Lifting 1t, he described
a steep flight of steps, which he de-
scended, lighted candle in hand, and
found at the bottom a narrow. winding
passage, along which he cautiously
made his way. Suddenly he was
brought up short" by dead white
! plastered wall, barring his further ad-
vance; and, putting out his hand to
touch it, his finger went half an inch
into the plaster, which was soft, weak
and evidently quite newly laid on.
Smoothing it over as best he could (not
an easy task without proper i'm
plement) he quietely retraced his steps
to his room, rearranged carpet and
furniture exactly as he had found them,
and went down to tea, keeping his own
counsel, and saying nothing to any one
of his adventure.
Next morning, while he was still in
bed, note was brought him from his
hosts lawyer, who was saying in the
castle. It enclosed a cheque, and briefly
Informed him that his services were no
longer required, and that carriage
would be in readiness to take him to the
railway station at the earliest hour