and
passageways, the vault was somewhere under the main group of buildings,
the keep or one end of the Hall, two or three stories below the level of
the chapel floor. Part of the corridor through which he had passed was
hewn from the solid rock, and part was built of masonry. The wooden
partition opposite him was obviously the beginning of the used part of
the castle, but admitting that he could pass it, in which direction
would it lead him? He feared to strike another match, for beyond the
door perhaps someone might be moving. It was now, as nearly as Renwick
could judge, about one o'clock in the morning. He crossed the crypt
carefully and found the partition, feeling its surface, which was made
of rough boards loosely nailed together. He put his eye to one of the
cracks and peering in, could see nothing; but a current of warmer air
which came through the slits, slightly aromatic in odor, warned him that
the space beyond was surely connected with the habitable part of the
castle--a wine cellar perhaps, or a storage room. He debated for a
moment whether it was wise to use another light and then at last decided
to take the risk, and as matches were scarce, found the ancient candle
in the iron lamp, which after sputtering feebly for a moment, consented
to burn. By its aid he examined the dust upon the floor of the crypt,
which showed the imprint of no footsteps but his own; then the walls of
the crypt, discovering immediately another door which his eyes had
missed in the earlier glow of the match,--a narrow door open to the
left, of thick wood, with heavy iron hinges, the flanges of which formed
the braces of the door itself. He blew out the candle and put it into
his pocket. Peering through the keyhole and seeing nothing, he lifted
the latch and tried to open it.

His efforts proved that it had been unused for many years, for the
hinges had sagged, and some of its weight rested upon the stone floor.
But with an effort, he managed to move it an inch or so. Another effort
swung it clear of its stone sill, and at last he managed to open it wide
enough to admit the passage of his body. But with this last attempt the
rusty hinges rasped horribly; and so he waited in silence, listening
fearfully for any sounds in front or behind him which might indicate
alertness above.

Another passage lay before him, a narrower one, which soon developed a
straight flight of narrow stairs leading upwards. He stood for a moment
staring, for