The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-17

was aware that something was moving under the shadow of the copper beeches As it emerged into the moonsnine l saw what it was It was a giant dog, as large as calf tawny tinted, with hanging jowl, black muzzIe and huge projecting bones. It walked slowly across the lawn and vanished into the shadow upon the other side. That dreadful silent sen- tinel sent a chill to my heart which I do not think that any burglar could have done.
 And now I have a very strange ex- perience to tell you. I had, as you know, cut off my hair in London, and I had placed it in a great coil at the bottom of my trunk. One evening. after the child was in bed began to amuse myself by examining the furniture of my room and | by rearranging my own little things. There was an old chest of drawers in the room, the two upper ones empty and open, the lower one locked. I had filled l the first two with my linen, and, as I had still much to pack away, l was naturally annoyed at not having the use of the third drawer. It struck me that it might have been fastened by a mere oversight, so took out my bunch of keys and tried | to open 1t. The very first key fitted to 1 perfection, and I drew the drawer. There | was only one thing in it, but I am sure that you would never guess what it was. | It was my coil of hair.
 l .I took it up and examined it. It was ] of the same peculiar tint, and the same 1 thickness. But then the impossfbility of | the thing obtruded itself upon me- How could my hair have been locked in the l drawer? With trembling hands I undid my trunk, turned out the contents and , drew from the bottom my own hair 1 laid the two tresses together and I as- sure you they were identical Was it not extraordinary? Puzzle as I would, l could make nothing at all of what it meant. returned the strange hair to t1z drawer, and I said nothing of the mat. s to the Rucastles, as I felt that I haS r myself in the wrong by opening <--zr- 2 which they had locked.
 "I am naturally observant, easA -4m .oc have remarked, MT Holmes, al $ St 7A had pretty good plan of tHuNwho9sx house in my head There was oiiE wing, | however, that appeared to be not inhab- l ited at all. A door which faced that which led into the quarters of the Tollers l opened into this suite. but 1t was inva- | riably locked. One day, however, as I ], ascended the stair, I met MT. Rucastle Ncomsng out through this door, his Keys in his hand, and look on his face | which made him a very different person to the round, jovial man to whom I was accustomed. His cheeks were red, his brow was all crinkled with anger, and the veins stood out at his temples with passion. He locked the door and hur- ried past me without a word or look. | This aroused my curiosity, so when went out for walk in the grounds with my charge l strolled round to the side | from which I could see the windows of this part of the house. There were four | of them in row, three of which were simply dirty, while the fourth was shut tered up. They were evidently all de- serted As I strolled up and down, glancing at them occasionally, MT. Ru- castle came out to me looking as merry and jovial as ever.
 'Ahl said he you must not think me rude if l passed you without word, my dear young lady I was preoccupied with business matters
 T assured him that was not offended 'By-the-way.' said I, you seem to have quite suite of square rooms up there and one of them has the shutters up | He looked surprised, and, as 1t seemed to me- little startled at my remark. | Photography is one of my hobbies, : said he I have made my dark room up there. But. dear me, what an observant young lady we have come upon. Who would have believed it? Who would ever have believed it? He spoke in a testing tone, but there was no jest in his eyes as as ne looked at me. read suspicion there and annoyance, but no jest
 Well, MT. Holmes. from the moment that l understood that there was some i thing about that suite of rooms which was not to know, I was all on fire to go over them. It was not mere curiositvs though I have my share of that. It was more feeling of duty-a feelina tbat some good may come from my penetrat- Ing to this place. They talk of woman's
 instinct perhaps it was woman's in stlnct which gave me that feeling. At any rate, it was there, and I was keenlv on the lockout for any chance to mass the forbidden door.
 l tsIf wac only vae+o~lo--
 came. l may tell you that, besides Mir Rucastle, both Toller and his wife find something to do in these deserted rooms and l once saw him carrying A large black linen bag with him through the door. Recently he has been drinking. naro, ana yesterday evening he was drunk; and, when I came upstairs thera was the key in the door. I have no doubt at all that he had left 1t there MT. and Mrs. Rucastle were both down stairs. and the child was with them, so that I had an admirable opportunity I turned the Key gently in the lock. opened the door, and slipped through
 There was little passage in front of me, unpapered and uncarpeted, which turned at right angle at the farther end. Round this corner were three doors in line, the first and third of which were open. They each led into an empty room, dusty and cheerless with two
 
 so thick with dirt that the evening light glimmered dimly through them. The cen ter door was closed and across the outside Of 1t had been fastened one of the broad bars of an Iron bed, padlocked at one end | to ring in the wall, and fastened at the other with stout cord. The door itself | was locked as well, and the key was not there. This barricaded door correspond ed clearly with the shuttered window outside. and yet I could see by the glim- mer from beneath 1t that the room was not in darkness. Evidently there was a | skylight which let in light from above As stood in the passage gazing at the sinister door, and wondering what secret it might veil, I suddenly heard the sound of steps within the room, and saw a. shadow pass backward and forward against the little slit of dim light which shone out from under the door A mad unreasoning terror rose up in me at the sight. MT Holmes. My overstrung nerves failed me suddenly. and turned and ran ran as though some dreadful hand were behind me clutching at the skirt of my dress l rushed down the passage through the door, and straight into the arms of MT. Rucastie, who was waiting outside.
 "So said he. smiling, 1t was you, then. I thought that 1t must be when saw the door open
 Oh, am so frightenedv panted
 My dear young lady, my dear young ladyr-you cannot think how caressing and soothing his manner was-.and what has frightened you, my dear young lady?'
 But his voice was just little too coaxing. He overdid it. I was keenly on my guard against him.