about the skull, in the
midst of which was a Mexican ear-ring of elaborate workmanship.
Everything told them that the skeleton was that of a woman. Glancing
round the hall, the ladies could not see any door. How did Cora get
there? Before they had time to inquire, little Cora saw something inside
the gate, and with her usual quick movement, she swiftly passed her tiny
hand between the closely placed iron bars and from a small heap of
debris of finger bones, drew out a richly chased gold ring, inscribed
with the name of "Inez;" set in it was a large ruby in the form of a
heart.

The child who possessed as part of her inheritance a fine, sensitive
instinct, looking at her mother, observed that her long silken eyelashes
were wet with tears, and that traces of recent mental agony lingered on
her face. In an instant, the dear little soul strove to comfort and
cheer, after the manner so often employed by each of her guardians
toward herself. Holding up the ring in one hand, and clinging round her
mother with the other, she said,

"See, mama, Cora dot pitty sing for mama. Don't ky, don't ky, Cora loves
mama."

"Sweet child," exclaimed Anna, taking her up into her arms and holding
her to her heart. "Sweet child, more precious to us every day, for each
one reveals some new beauty of character, some still more lovable
trait. Come, dear Ada, come away," she continued. "I will carry Cora.
How did my little godchild come here?" she said, addressing the little
one in her arms.

"Kitta doe," answered Cora.

"Yes darling, where did kitta go?"

"By dare," said the child, pointing to a massive column, one side of
which was built close to the wall and had the appearance of being placed
there as a support, but was in reality to conceal a doorway which led to
a flight of stairs between two walls.

The ladies went up, Miss Vyvyan carrying Cora. They soon found
themselves in one of the rooms which was nearly filled with firearms and
other implements of warfare. The entrance to it at the top of the stairs
was concealed in the same manner as the doorway below, and but for Cora
following the little white kitten, the ladies might have lived many
years in the castle and never have seen it. The subterranean passage
into which they accidentally crawled, had been made for a place of
concealment in case of a sudden attack upon the castle.

CHAPTER X.

Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green,
That host with their