know an owl, Rusty? That's all it was."

Jarvis was walking across the room to another door. Rusty was close
behind him, following by habit now.

"I wonder if that door is...."

He did not finish the sentence! His foot had touched a swiveled rock,
so delicately balanced that he had noiselessly fallen half through the
large opening in the rock floor when Rusty caught him by the collar and
under the arm.

[Illustration: _Rusty caught him by the arm_]

"Here, I'm holding on now better, Rusty. Give me your hand." They both
tugged, and he was soon safe, peering into the black opening together.

"That was a close call. Give me that lantern, Rusty!"

He dropped an old pewter cup, left on a side table, down the opening.
There was a delayed, faint splash.

"Lord!--water and a long drop. No wonder people disappear in this
castle. Great Scott! What if her brother fell in there? Rusty, whatever
happens, keep clear of this. Get me a burned stick, and I'll mark a
cross on it, so we can tell--it makes me nervous to see that open mouth
of death gaping for us. If you step on this you'll never see Kentucky
again, for sure."

Rusty obeyed.

"Did you hear that groan, Marse Warren?"

"Groan--that's the wind!... There it is again--it does sound like a
moan."

"Ough!" and Rusty's teeth chattered in perfect rhythm with his shaking
knees. "Ough!"

"Shut up! Listen ... I guess it's the wind, at that. But this place is
getting on our nerves all right."

Rusty controlled his teeth enough to talk now.

"Marse Warren, dat warn't no wind. Ah hope to die if dat warn't a shore
'nuff human groan." He turned and looked toward the big oil portrait of
an ancient Spanish hidalgo over the fireplace. "An' I wants to tell you
somepin else. Has you ever been in church or somew'ere an' all of a
suddent a feelin' comes over you dat dere's someone's eyes a-starin' at
de back of your haid ... you jest knowed it--until you couldn't stand
it no longer, an' jest had to turn 'round an' see who it was?"

"Yes, Rusty, I've had that. Why?"

"Dat's jest de way I feel now. Like dem eyes in dat picture was
a-lookin right through me. Like he'd like to step right outen de frame.
Or dem two boogie battleship men would like to jump right down on me,"
and he pointed toward the two suits of armor on the landing above.

"It's been a good many hundred years since those boys jumped. But
listen--there's someone running as sure as you're alive, Rusty."

It was