The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-03-24

these oolngS are ancient: uaere
no machinery here"
"There can't be q reason" said
Herrick, unless you're conjurer.
If you pick a brick out of wall,
you've right to expect recess.
Well, there's the brick you picked
out: but where's the recess?"
"There was recess" said my
lady. "There must have been. But
now it's been filed"
"That's right" said I. "That's
right. And I'll tell you another thing.
It's got to be emptied again before
we can put that block back in its
place."
"Do you mean to suggest" said
Herrick, shat slab of stone OF
that size, fixed or unfixed, can shift
to and fro on its OWN"
IT have it," said Brenda's voice.
The thing is counterpoise. My
uncle has one at his farm. It is very
old, but its movement is silent and
sure as the flight of an OWL"
There was an electric silence.
Then
"The girls right" said Herrick.
"And there's the conjuring trick.
Beneath these steps there's a bal
ance; and when you drew out that
block you lightened one of its scales
with two results. One was that
the scale you had lightened rose in
the air, and thus revealed to our
eyes the second weight on that
scale. That is it, therein the gap"
He got to his feet. "And the other
result was this-that the opposite
scale sank down-thus revealing
somewhere or other the doorway
we're trying to find"
That this Interpretation was good,
there could be no doubt, and we all
began to 60 down the winding stair,
surveying the walls, as we went, for
some gap in their masonry. We
were too much excited, fear, to
use our wits. Had we done so, we
should have perceived that there
was but one direction in which the
balance could hang and that this
would bring the scale which we
wished to locate very nearly above
the doorway by which we had en-
tered the tower. However, as luck
would have it, we now had no need
Of wits, but only of eyes; and as we
emerged from the staircase into the
small, square hall, we saw directly
before us the interspace which we
sought.
On the wall which faced us one Of
the panels had sunk-not very
much, but five inches exactly
the height of the block which / had
pulled out of the stair. The gap
thus shown was breast-high and Is
inches in width. Beyond was an
open space, and when I put in my
hand, I could feel faint current
of air.
The panel hung on a chain, which
was, Of course, attached to the bal
ance above. And so long as it hung
on that chain, the panel could GO
no further, because the counter
weight had no room to rise. So
took the weight Of the panel, while
Herrick deity unfastened the heavy
chain.
"Then let the panel sink slowly
into some slot in the stone :. :"
At last it came to rest, some six
inches still protruding and making
a sill to the doorway which we had
discovered at last.
This gave to winding stair, pre-
cisely resembling that upon which
we had passed so many wearisome
hours. In word, with the hall for
landing, the stair of the tower went
on down, curling slowly right-hand-
ed, into the bowels Of the earth.
For the others / cannot answer,
but until the way was open and we
were about to go down, had never
considered to what "the doorway
might lead: but now that we were
about to discover the truth, ! re-
membered the late Counts words
and, with those for straw, began to
make fabulous bricks.
at may be that you can use it :. -"
! will not set down the pictures
my fancy drew. Enough that they
were all false. But have this con-
solation-that not one man in q mil
lion would have predicted the scene
which presently met our eyes.
Herrick declined to 60 down, but
stayed in the hall with Brenda, ''un-
less and until" said he, ''my lady
decides that she wants me on in
this act" So ! preceded Elizabeth,
torch in hand.
For SO steps we went down. And
then we came to a chamber that
had no door.
On the threshold ] stopped and
lighted a second torch, and my lady
looked over my shoulder, to see
what saw.
The chamber was small-some fif-
teen feet by eight, and some nine
feet high. It's walls and floor and
ceiling were all of stone, and though
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