ing an answer from Mrs.
Winter, but dread of hearing her own voice echoing through the empty
house kept her silent. And from the same cause she remained standing
motionless on the spot where she had been left. The terror of stepping
on some strange soft object that would squeak or squash under her feet
was enough to keep her still. She thought of Lewis Brand's tales about
rats and toads in Mrs. Howard's cellar, and she wondered that he did
not go mad when shut up among them.

As Madge was standing stiff with fright, and straining her ears to
catch a distant sound of footsteps that never seemed to come, she
suddenly remembered the grating at the farther end of the cellar.
"What a stupid creature I am!" she exclaimed joyfully, as, turning her
head, she again caught sight of the reassuring glimmer of light behind
her. It had been there all the time, while she was staring into the
darkness in the opposite direction.

In another moment Madge was cautiously creeping towards the grating.
She could only go slowly pushing one foot before her in order to avoid
stepping heavily on some hidden horror; for the daylight struggling
through the tiny opening overhead only faintly lighted the ground
immediately below, leaving the rest of the cellar in total darkness.

Even this feeble patch of twilight quite restored Madge's confidence.
She would reach it and feel about for the lost money, then if Mrs.
Winter did not speedily return she could no doubt find her way back up
the cellar steps without any help. When Madge was not frightened she
was just as sensible and energetic as a grown-up person.

Hardly had she resolved on this most practical course, however, when
there was a wild scuffle round her legs, and something brushed past her
with glaring eyes--something that uttered confused sounds of rage as it
lurked in the darkness to spring out upon her.

Poor Madge! She forgot her age, her dignity, and her character for
good common sense. She only remembered alarming stories about
hobgoblins and witches, and she began to scream. Luckily Mrs. Winter
had by this time found the box of matches, and very soon returned with
the candle. Then all at once the scene changed. The mysterious
haunted cavern again became nothing but a large cellar full of empty
shelves, hung with festoons of cobwebs. And the lurking monster turned
out to be a half-starved kitten, that must at some time have followed
the caretaker down the steps and got l