Year: 1870

| uty.


Mr.. Moss read it, folded it up brisIkly


and presented it to me with bow.


Sir, I apologize. confess that up to
this moment I. fancied it was Carl; but
what puzzled me was, that such a surly
fellow should take to larking and playing
the fool You are very much like my last
tenant, sir, that is all


| Every well; now that matter is settled,
let US look at the rooms"


The lighted gas showed me a large one
and very barely furnished. There was a
large leather covered table with a desk
on 1t, four chairs, an inkstand, and a par
tally filed waste-paper basket, and that
was all.


"Rather meagre, Mr.. Moss"
"Now, my dear sir, what more could
you want? Would you like safe? I've
got one to spare down stairs and you shall
have it, and new mat for your feet
there now,-I hate haggling"
Let me see the other room, please"
1t was one which person sitting at the
table would have right opposite to him.
| and it had no door. at was q clerks
Office" Mr.. Moss said, "and you wanted
your eye on such chaps" I suggested
| that the principal might sometimes want
privacy, whereupon he said "he had the
door down stairs and it should be hung
at once if wished it" But having no
intention of engaging clerk at present 1
told him it was of no consequence.


The room was about half the size of the
outer one, and contained q desk and stool.
There was large closet for Goals and such
like matters, and good allowance of dust
and cobwebs, all over.


"Tn have it cleaned up tomorrow"
said Mr.. Moss. at looks beautiful when
clean, and you'll find the desk to be real
Spanish mahogany"


They would suit me well enough, and I
told Mr.. Moss so; paid him quarters
rent in advance, and rose to depart.


40, by the way, Mr.. Moss" 1 exclaimed,
a. sudden thought striking me; az will
send q man to paint my name on the door,
and on the wan down stairs"


every good, sir; would do it at once
if were you. CaH was loose fish, and
If you delayed it until you got here you
might de annoyed" ia


"How so4 What was her"


nTake cigar first, Mr.. Harker, you'll
find no better in Liverpool. Lord how
like him You do look when don't see
your eyesl" q,


"And vet I have not been thought to re-
semble loose fish before, Mr.. Moss"


"I didn't mean that. Have you never
seen an ugly person resemble very hand
some one2 I have many time. Well,
about Carl; he was here about two years,
and call me q Jew if could reckon him
up. He used to come here about noon,
and work up to eight or nine o'clock at
night but what business he worked at
could never find out--1-knoW he had q
big ledger, and two or three such books I;
but q big ledger won't make q business
any more than q big carpet-bag Will, and
he always carried one. He would come
and smoke cigar with me now and then;
but never came up here during all that
time, and he kept this door locked. He
always seemed expecting blow, did poor
Carl, more like rat in corner than any
thing else, poor beggarl Well, sir, one
morning found the key on my mat, and
found the place just as you see it, and
have never seen Carl since. One or two
queer-looking men have inquired about
him, and asked if he was coming back,
and said most likely he would, and likely
enough he viii"


Not at all an interesting story"
thought, and felt inclined to yawn in
Mr. Moss's face; but thanked him for
his information, and promised to take pos
session IN three days, which l spent. In
presenting my letters of introduction, and
making other arrangements for the prose-
cution of my plans.


At length the eventful day arrived, and
stood in my own office, with my name
emblazoned on the door and passage wall.
1 was waiting for a friend to call on me
(Who, by the way, had promised to put
me in the way of doing some business hat
very day), and felt impatient for his ar
rival in consequence.


The office was clean and tidy, and the
floors had been well scrubbed.


Why hadn't they emptied the waste
paper basket of all that lumber?


The ofice-keeper had lighted a.fre, and
took up the basket to perform the opera5
ton myself but from some cause or other
placed it on the table and began idly to
|, hxyO q O


/ had nearly disposed of them all when
a scrap attracted my attention and read
it 1t was torn so as to leave few words
intact, and it ran thus:


Louise has given your description, and
you may rely on our finding you. For
ward the plates at once, Or


Then another piece of mysterious
paper, apparently plan of some place or
other.


What did this meanp


But had no time to consider, for my
friend entered, and putting the two pieces
of paper in my drawer, l empted the bas-
ket in the fire, and went out with him to
do good days work.


Returning late in the evening, relit
the fire, and addressed myself to the writ
ing of two important letters to be posted
by 11:30 that night, in order to be In time
for the Cunard liner, which sailed early
in the morning and then it was that the
black darkness of the doorless room OPP
posite to me began to trouble me most.


It had troubled me before, but on this
night it troubled me tenfold. From child
hood have been imaginative, and know
ing this, stirred the fire, called myself
an ass, and went on with my letter. But
not for long. My eyes wandered to the
black darkness of the doorway, and
bgan to ransack my memory for statistics
of men who could tell by some occult
power if any one were hidden in the
room they entered and laughed aloud
when remembered that had read of
one sensitive gentleman, who by this
same occult sense had found that a sur
geon's skeleton was in a closet behind
him.


/ own I dislike being in the dark, but I
viii do myself the justice to say that
have resolution enough to overcome the
dislike.


Therefore proposed to myself to very
Quietly walk into the dark room which
troubled me (and without q light), look
out of the windows, and slowly return.


I went,-the very first step beyond the
threshold dispelled my fears. could see
the glimmer of the stars through the
glass, hear the rattle of the cabs outside
Why, it was quite cheerful place, after