Year: 1874

position, the gleam of a light, seemingly near
the floor, at the opposite end of the chamber.


Had it been possible for me to have seen its
glare when lying down, might have deemed
it only a continuance Of my dream-the comet
of the Red Hood-but even as l rubbed my
eyes to assure myself that 1 was, indeed,
awake, I became conscious Of voice, harsh
and stern, yet speaking in tone Of mingled
exultation, triumph and menace.


The voice of Uncle Danforth


Who could be his auditors at such an hour !?
And how happened it that, willingly or unwil-
lingly, I was thus compelled to be one Of
them?


quietly slipped out of bed, and, partially
dressing, went toward the light.


A narrow panel in the interior wall-one
of several which formed the wainscot on that
side of the chamber-stood ajar. Like all
the others, apparently, it was some two feet
wide by three in height, with the distinction
of being contrived to open and shut.


Thinking that some sudden draughto air
consequent, perhaps, upon my opening the
outer door, (Which I afterward verifed,) had
forced it open-I approached for the purpose
of closing it. Evidently a means Of secret
communication, probably centuries old, l
thought, with drowsy wonder.


With my hand upon it, I heard name
pronounced by my uncle, which, striking me
with the force of blow, reused all my slum-
bering energies, and caused me to look
through the opening-every sense keenly on
the alert.


"Sir John Harrington p


Such was the name that startled me; and
gancing through and beyond the paneled
aperture, what did I see?


Exactly opposite the opening in the wall a
fire was blazing on the hearth, from which
proceeded the Highland it assisted me in de-
termining the location.


Inside the opening, and close against the
wall, was what I at first mistook for large
closet or clothes.press, inasmuch as thin
board forminga portion of the back was made
to turn on pivots, with the evident purpose,
when shut, of concealing the panel opening
into nv room. I soon saw, however, that in
stead of a closet, the recess was the lower half
of a large bookcase, for few scattered VOL
umes lay on the floor, and two small folding
doors opening outward were standing ajar.


1 had no difficulty in recalling where l had
seen that fire on the hearth, and that book
case-for a remembrance of the fixtures in
Sir Johns chamber, rushed upon me-but l
had difficulty, such as I had never before
realized, and probably never shall again, in
retaining my selfcontrol, as I gazed through
the panelled opening, and the intervening
bookcase, into the room beyond.


Between me and the fire, his figure brought
out in full relief by its light, reclining, rath-
er than sitting, and bound hand and foot, l
saw Sir John Harrington! Not dead-nor
even ill-nor yet the man had seen in that
chamber, whose Acknowledgements I had wit
messed but the man I had always known as
the baronet-the man I had met two days be.
fore


Horri6ed and startled beyond the power of
words to express, yet managed to retain, as
indicated, my control sufficiently to repress
the exclamation that rose unbidden to my
lips; and the next instant the words of my
uncle, to which the utterance of that name,
seemed to have been preliminary, were ringing
in my ears.


I need not repeat them here; but will
briefly state their substance, as showing one of
the most atrocious plots ever conceived by
crafty brain to relieve itself of minor frauds,
threatened exposure and impending ruin.


1t transpired that the cause of the old law.
yer's summons from London, was not-as he
had given out-Sir Johns illness, but the re-
suit of discovery by the baronet, that for a
long series of years the lawyer had been using
the moneys entrusted to him, to carry on spec
ulations of his own, in which he had sunk ast
sums. And it was to call him to an account,
therefore, that Sir John had sent for him.


Unable to pay-and with transportation for
life staring him in the face-the old lawyer,
before leaving London, had hunted up a
former valet of Sir Johns, discharged for dis.
honesty-a man who had been every thing by
turns, and nothing long-but whom he found
in some menial capacity at second.
class theatre; and this ex-valet he had brought
down to the Grange, and privately smuggled
into the house, to play the part Of the sick and
dying baronet, before selected witnesses, till
the control of the property and immunity for
the past should be secured.


1t was no part Of the plan, it appeared, to
injure Sir John-but to send him out of the
country to some designated place, where he
could be regularly furnished with whatever
funds were necessary for his existence-solely
conditioned on his promising never to reveal
aught of the transaction, nor to set foot again
in the country.


(The very wildness of this scheme served to
show to what desperation impending danger
had driven the old lawyer.)


It was to obtain his well-considered and
final answer to this Infamous proposition, that
his captors had brought the baronet from his
concealment beneath the bookcase They
might as we'll have saved themselves the
trouble, however, for no sooner was the scarf
removed which enforced his silence, than Sir
John declared that nothing but death would
ever seal his lips-that he would never leave
the country alive He concluded his fitting,
but manly declaration, by stating that the
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