as it and I went shooting down into
the hole I had been so anxious to penetrate, though not in just this
startling fashion.

The cry, uttered by Mr. Steele as I disappeared from before his eyes,
was my first conscious realization of what had happened after I had
struck the ground below.

"Are you hurt?" he cried, with real commiseration, as he leaned over
to look for me in the hollow at his feet. "Wait and I will drop down to
you," he went on, swinging himself into a position to leap.

I was trembling with the shock and probably somewhat bruised, but not
hurt enough to prevent myself from scrambling to my feet, as he slid
down to my side and offered me his arm for support.

"What did you do?" he asked. "Was it you who made this trap give way?
I see that it is a trap now,"--and he pointed to the square boarding
hampered by its carpet which hung at one side.

"I pressed one of those round knobs in the molding," I explained,
laughing to hide the tears of excitement in my eyes. "It had a loose
look. I did it without thinking,--that is, without thinking enough of
what I was doing to be sure that I was in a safe enough position for
such an experiment. But I'm all right, and so is the cabinet. See!" I
pointed to where it stood, still upright, its contents well shaken up
but itself in tolerably good condition.

"You are fortunate," said he. "Shall I help you up out of this? Your
curiosity must be amply satisfied."

"Not yet, not yet," I cried. "Oh! it is as I thought," I now exclaimed,
peering around the corner of the cabinet into a place of total darkness.
"The passage is here, running directly under the alley-way. Help me,
help me, I must follow it to the end. I'm sure it communicates with the
house next door."

He had to humor me. I already had one hand on the cabinet's edge, and
should have pushed it aside by my own strength if he had not interfered.
The space we were in was so small, some four feet square, I should
judge, that the utmost we could do was to shove one corner of it
slightly aside, so as to make a narrow passage into the space beyond.
Through this I slipped and should have stepped recklessly on if he had
not caught me back and suggested that he go first into what might have
its own pitfalls and dangers.

I did not fear these, but was glad, nevertheless, to yield to his
suggestion and allow him to pass me. As he did so, he took out a match
from his pocket and in another moment had lit and held it out