Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-16

Trey ftOlDWeil contained the HiUSl
bed lie had ever occupied, and he speedily
fell into sound sleep, from which he
was abruptly reused by noise in the
corridor outside his bed room door.
He sat up and listened. Before stepping
into bed he had switched off the electric
light, but the darkness now became family
illumined by horizontal line of light APP
pearing at the foot of the door Its origin
was obvious; some one was walking In the
corridor and bearing lamp or candle
The line of light had no sooner appeared
than it disappeared, showing that the per-
son had passed by.
Moved by the thought that it might be a
burglar, Godfrey stepped quietly from his
bed, and cautiously opening the door to
the extent of a few inches, peeped out.
There, few feet distant with his back
toward him, Viscount Walden moving
quietly along the corridor. Evidently he
had not been to bed. for he was Still wear
ing the dress suit he had worn at dinner;
to IL he had added a hard felt hat, INTO
the brim of which there was stuck lighted
candle. after the fashion of a Cornish miner.
With both hands he was half-dragglng,
half-carrying the cypress chest ABOUT which
he had displayed so much concern. 1t was
the accidental fall of this reliquary that
had reused Godfrey from sleep.
Now, when a young man is detected IN
the dead of night stealing along with
reliquary that he has tried to introduce
surreptitously into his fathers house, it
may be inferred that he is actuated by a
bad motive; such, at least was Godfrey
inference. Accordingly, tHUuSii SoilSSiO"S
of the meanness of espionage, yet, moved
by a feeling for which he could not ac-
count, he resolved to follow the Vlscount
and ascertain, If possible, the meaning or
this strange proceeding.
Waiting till War mad turned corner OF
the corridor, Godfrey, having hurrleoi9
slipped into his clothes, stole forth IN ms
stockinged feet and followed at a distance
lurking within the shadows. and exercising
the utmost vigilance to prevent himself
from being seen. Fortunately, there were
at intervals various pieces OF furniture. as
well as curtains and recesses OF an Whch
Godfrey took prompt advantage whenever
War seemed on the point of giving BACK
ward glance.
The yiscount's course, after he had lett
the corridor in which the bed rooms We're
situated conducted him down a staircase
and along a second corridor, this latter Ter
minating at the door of the picture eal-
lery. Here he paused. and sat down upoi.
the box to rest himself. He was no athiete
aid the moving of THIS heaVy ehsst was q
tax upon his strength ~.
By the grim and dismal circle OF hgn.
shed around by the taper IN war htt
Godfrey could see that the Viscounl iace
was pale and marked by an expression OF
fear and that he gave a start at the SUI
den coughing of the night wlnd among 'he
trees without. 49,,
some of the fear manifested by him
saemed to mass over to Godfrey, who found
himself becoming strangely suspicious as
to the contents of the chest. Inc secrecy
observed by the viscount was extremely
suggestive of the theory of crime was
the reliuuary the receptacle of guilty evil
dence which War, unable to dispose o.
elsewhere was bringing to RavenhaH as
the safest place of concealment!
The reliauary itself. apart altogether from
the consideration of its contents, had some
thing gruesome about it. Though the eX-
terror carvings were medlaeVal IN CHARACTER >
Godfrey who was somewhat OF cohho!s-
seur on wood had felt, when surveying the
more ancient than the middle ages; with
that durability peculiar to cypress WOOD,
the chest might have seen the CLASSIC days
of Greece; differing little in shape from an
Esvptian mummy case, it might have held
the embalmed remains Of Rameses; nay
its antiquity perhaps anted3ted the very
pyramids themselves!
He had ample leisure for these reflections,
for the viscount having once seated him.
self seemed 10th to move forward again.
At last, pulling out spirit mask, war
took a deep draught, and, rising to his feet.
produced key with which he unlocked the
door of the picture gallery.
Then lifting the reliquary by means OF a
silver ring affixed to the lid, he proceeded
to traverse the entire length of the hall.
dragging his burden with him.
Godfrey. who was no stranger TO the
place surmsed that the vscount's journey
was almost at an end, since the gallery
terminated in a room from which War
would have no egress. except by the same
door that he was now approaching.
The discounts first act on entering the
room was tc close the door. Upon this
Godfrey glided swiftly forward. and falling
upon one knee, endeavored to obtain a
glimpse of the interior by applying his eye
to the keyhole. In this he was thWarted
by the key in the lock, and though the key
was on his side of the door, he hesitated
to remove IT. lest the sound should attia act
Wars attention.
Godfrey could detect no light within the
chamber. and therefore he assumed that
War must have extinguished his taper.
Why?
Godfrey placed his ear to the door. No
sound came from within. If the room con-
tanned an occupant that occupant was mo-
tionless, or, if moving, was moving silently
and in the dark.
Then suddenly it occurred to him that
perhaps War had quilted the chamber by
a secret exit known only to himself
Godfrey grew perplexed, impa tent In
standing thus inactive he was losing the
chance of discovering the ViscountS secret
Still, Ivar might be within. and the sur
geon deemed it imprudent TO push open the
door.
A way of solving the difficulty presented
itself He suddenly turned the key in the
lock, clicking it loudly, to the end that if
War were really within he could not fail
to learn that he was now prisoner.
Godfrey listened. There was no cry of
surprise; no hasty rush Of feet to the door:
no movement at all. After waiting few
moments, he came to the conclusion that
the room was untenanted
He turned the key and pushed open the
door,
Aided by a subdued light, tender and
dreamy, that stole through latticed case
ment, he had visible proof that the chamber
was devoid of anything in human shape.
The cypress chest had also vanished
No way of egress visible save by the
window, but Ivar had not made his exit by
this as the state of it's fastenings clearly
showed. His disappearance was obviously
due to the existence of some secret pas
sage.
Godfrey, 10th to turn back, now that he
had come thus far, resolved to make an
examination of the room, even at the risk
of being discovered by the returning War.
He began his search with the fireplace.
Surely some propitious fairy was direct
ing his steps.- A long slab of stone, that
formed one side of the fireplace, had sunk
to the level of the hearth. revealing a pas
sage behind. This slab was worked by a
pulley since he could feel at each side the
ropes by which 1t had been lowered; but
without stopping to examine the mechan-
ISM he entered the passage and moved for
ward through the darkness, exploring the
way before him both with hand and foot
in order TO guard against possible precipi-
tation down q flight of stairs. The sequel
justified this precaution for he soon found
himself at the head of flight OF stone
~ OF Iaau laF ba