CHAPTER XXIX. IN THE LONELY HOUSE.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 188, 22 January 1887, Page 7

CHAPTER XXIX. IN THE LONELY HOUSE.

Left alone, Margaret quietly Blipped into the alley. She glided on noiselessly to that third door, mounted the steps and stood within the narrow porch. She drew forth her keys. "What if they should not fit, after all ?" was the sudden doubt that assailed her, She drew off the mitten from her right hand and thrust it into her pocket ; then feeling with her trembling fingers for the keyhole, she inserted the largest key in it, reasoning that that one would most probably unlock the outer door. Breathlessly she attempted to turn it; Oh, how much depended upon that little piece of steel. It was a supreme moment But joy, it moved ! The bolt slid back without a sound, and she knew that it must have been well oiled by some one who had been there before her. It was then the work of but a moment to turn the handle, open the door, step inside, and close it again behind her. Sheproducedawax-candleandmatcbeeand struck a light, carefully returning the burnt match to her packet afterward — there must be no evidence of any kind to betray her visit there. She had not made the slightest sound in so doing, which convinced her that the hinges had been well oiled also. She did not reiock it ; she had not courage enough to do that and fasten herself from all the world with she knew not what; besides, she had told Annette to search for her there if she did not return in an hour. An involuntary, shiver passad over her as she found herself in that blackness of darkness, an uncanny dampness in the atmosphere, a close, mouldy smell greeting her noatvila, and tor a momeut she was half tempted to open the door again and fly from the weird place. But ahe resolutely conquered the feeling ; Bhe would never relinquish her purpose after pursuing it thus far. She listened intently for an instant, but not a sound was to be heard anywhere in the building, ! Shading her candle with her mantle, so as to conceal the light as much as possible, she looked about her. She found herself in quite a large room — ita walls and ceiling covered with dust, mould, and cobwebs — having two windows looking out into the alley from which she had just entered. There was no other door in theroom excepting theouter one, but in thereat of itthore was a flight of stairs leading into the next atory. With noiseless tread Margaret crossed the floor and ascended theae. At the top there was a narrow landing, and beyond, a door partially opened. She crossed the landing, pushed the door wide open, and found herself in a small room, bare and empty, and having only one small window, set rather high in the wall, Dust lay thick on the floor here also, but there were numerous traces of footsteps all about, showing that some one had been in the habit of coming and going very recently. The walls were covered with a paper that had once been handsome, but was now falling off in places, and badly defaced with age ani mildew. On her left, aa she entered, there was another door. This was shut. She put forth her hand to open it, but a strange feeling came over her and made her paude in the act, while her heart began to beat almost audibly. Something seemed to tell her that beyond that door she w ould make a discovery —that she had reached the end of her journey, and that some tangible clue to the mystery in which she was so deeply interested would lie within her reach when ahe should pass that threshold. She summoned all her courage, grasped the door knob and turned it. The door resisted her effort— it was locked J A momentary feeling of dismay was dispelled by remembering that she had another key. Softly, as if fearing some one would overhear her, though not a sound, save what she had made herself, had she heard since entering the building, she inserted the key in the lock and turned it. How well her keys had been made ! She had found no difficulty whatever in using them, and this lock, also, readily slid back with perfect ease. But even now she hesitated. Her success thus far almost awed ' her. She had followed Arthur Aspinall to his lair, as every step that she had taken went to prove. Now it only remained to be seen what it contained. Perhaps it waa only a place which he had hired to store come purchases that he had made during his travels abroad until he should be ready to go home ; perhaps, after all, she would find nothing but common trunks or cases and boxes. But no ; she felt sure that could not be all, else he would not have deemed it necessary to assume a disguise in going and coming to and from the place, Suddenly she remembered that ring of queer-looking keys that she had seen in the drawer of the little ebony table in his room She had heard of skeleton keys, but she had never seen any ; now she felt sure that they were euch. How ill -it ease he had been when she took them up to examine them ! Mow he had evaded her questions and tried to deceive her regarding them ! Ah I he wae a rogue, deeply dyed !— she believed, tb^at he was a thief and a robber ! He did not haVe such cunning implements in his possession for nothing ; they were used for entering places where valuables were deposited, and doubtless this room bo-

fore whioh she now stood waatbe repository of ill-gotten gains j and, joy ! she believed she should find there that gold whioh, she became more and more confident, he and nc other had taken from the safe of Louis Dunbar's office. She had been told that the alley led through to the Rue Caatiglione, where the office waa ; how easy to bring his spoils thither, and then from time to time come to help himself from them as he had need, while no one would suspect the bold thief in that disguise of the modest old gentleman. Her courage revived, her nerves grew more calm : the beating of her heart became more regular and natural, and with more of confidence than she had yet experienced since coming forth upon an errand, she again put forth her hand to open that door. In the act she dropped her candle upon the floor. The sound startled her almost as much as the sudden firing of a heavy cannon would have done, for it awakened all the eohoee within that empty building, and to her sensitive ears it seemed as if a thousand wicked elves and sprites were laughing and mocking at her fears. Fortunately the light was not extinguished, and she had not the added terror of being in darkness, and stooping, she recovered it almost immediately. It seemed as if a ton's weight had suddenly fallen somewhere in the building, or, horrible thought, perhaps some one had entered below, and finding the place unlocked and its treasures endangered, had, in his fear and haste, swung to tha door will a loud bane, and thus she would have to face an unforeseen danger. But, no ; on second thought it could not have been the shutting of a door — the sound had been too muffled for that. What was it ? She stood and listened, never moving, scarcely breathing, her pale face looking Mw a maskjof moulded wax beneath her dark hat and sombre veil. There was no sound of footsteps below or on the stairs ; nothing was stirring anywhere, and Bhe was convinced that no one had followed her. There was no movement within the room she was about to enter, so she reasoned the sound coulc not come from there. She at length decided that some heavy substance must have fallen somewhere near — perhaps in the building adjoining. Her terror and excitement began to abate, and once more she began to breathe freely. The door before her was unlocked ; a single movement, and she could know what was within. She turned the handle, and gently pushed the door open a little woy. I To her astonishment she saw a dim light I inside the room, as from a gas-jet turned low. There was an old and faded carpet upon the floor. To the left there was another door, but this was bolted both at the top and bottom, while nearly opposite where she was standing there was a window, but it was guarded by heavy shutters. But, heavens 1 what was that other sound? Her heart sprang to her throat, then fell like a dead weight upon her bosom, while she stood absolutely paralysed with fear, and feeling as if every drop of blood in her body had been congealed. There was a death-like stillness every, where ; but what did that dimly burning light mean ? She opened the door a little further. Still no movement. how she could see more of the room, though not the whole, and there seemed to be something like a fence or iron grating reaching from floor to ceiling, that partitioned off a portion of the room, and inside this she could just see what looked like the side of a huge iron safe. The sight of this excited her curiosity., while she had an idea that the safe might contain the treasure she was seeking. Forgetting all e'se now in her eagerness, ehfa boldly swung the door wide open and stepped into the room. A3 she did so there responded through it a cry which she never forgot.