u are afraid to follow, stay where you are till I return."

And without more words, she flicked her horse and cantered over the turf
to the road.

Of course I followed. If I feared the place, it was all the less
possible to allow her to go there alone.

It was one comfort to me that it was still broad daylight, so that the
mystery, whatever it might be, would lose its chief terror.

She looked round once to see if I was following or not, and then,
changing her canter to a trot, turned into the road.

Now his honour's order to me about Kilgorman had been a very strict one,
so much so that I suspected he had a shrewd idea who it was, eighteen
months ago, had broken the window and knocked over the stand of arms in
the kitchen.

"Mind, Barry," said he, "I allow no one on the road that leads up to
Kilgorman. No one is to go to the house on any excuse. If my orders
are disobeyed, he who trespasses will be sorry for it."

This had prevented my going near the place since. But now I followed
the little mistress I felt myself in another case, and, any way, Gorman
or no Gorman, I was not going to let her go alone.

The year and a half had made little change about the place. Only I
noticed some wheel-ruts on the road that were not old, and saw, as we
came nearer, that the window over the porch had been mended.

As we entered the avenue, Miss Kit reined up for me to approach.

"It's a finer house than Knockowen," said she. "I never saw it so near
before. Why does my father hate it so?"

"'Deed I cannot say, but it's certain he does hate it."

"Help me down, Barry, and fasten the horses. Where do we go in?"

"Faith, that's the puzzle. When I came before I got in by yon window."

She laughed as she looked up.

"You'll have to go the same way again," said she, "and I'll wait here
till you open the door for me."

I was in for the venture now! When I looked for the ladder, though, it
was not to be seen. But the thick creeper beside the door served the
purpose, and by dint of clambering I reached the porch-top in safety.

To my relief, I found that, though the window was mended, it was not
bolted, and that I could lift it without breaking a new pane of glass.

I confess, in spite of the bright daylight, it gave me a turn to find
myself once more in that fatal room, and recall the terrors of the night
when I saw it last. As quickly as possible I left it, and descended the
stairs to the hall.

Here a strang