of
property which the boy possessed. Here they found nothing suspicious.
All was even in the best possible order--not a very wonderful fact,
seeing a few books and a slate were the only things there besides the
papers on the shelves.

What the feelings of Shargar must have been when he heard the steps and
voices, and saw the light approaching his place of refuge, we will not
change our point of view to inquire. He certainly was as little to
be envied at that moment as at any moment during the whole of his
existence.

The first sense Mrs. Falconer made use of in the search after possible
animals lay in her nose. She kept snuffing constantly, but, beyond
the usual musty smell of neglected apartments, had as yet discovered
nothing. The moment she entered the upper garret, however--

'There's an ill-faured smell here, Betty,' she said, believing that they
had at last found the trail of the mystery; 'but it's no like the smell
o' rabbits. Jist luik i' the nuik there ahin' the door.'

'There's naething here,' responded Betty.

'Roon the en' o' that kist there. I s' luik into the press.'

As Betty rose from her search behind the chest and turned towards her
mistress, her eyes crossed the cavernous opening of the bed. There, to
her horror, she beheld a face like that of a galvanised corpse staring
at her from the darkness. Shargar was in a sitting posture, paralysed
with terror, waiting, like a fascinated bird, till Mrs. Falconer
and Betty should make the final spring upon him, and do whatever was
equivalent to devouring him upon the spot. He had sat up to listen to
the noise of their ascending footsteps, and fear had so overmastered
him, that he either could not, or forgot that he could lie down and
cover his head with some of the many garments scattered around him.

'I didna say whusky, did I?' he kept repeating to himself, in utter
imbecility of fear.

'The Lord preserve 's!' exclaimed Betty, the moment she could speak; for
during the first few seconds, having caught the infection of Shargar's
expression, she stood equally paralysed. 'The Lord preserve 's!' she
repeated.

'Ance is eneuch,' said Mrs. Falconer, sharply, turning round to see what
the cause of Betty's ejaculation might be.

I have said that she was dim-sighted. The candle they had was little
better than a penny dip. The bed was darker than the rest of the room.
Shargar's face had none of the more distinctive characteristics of
manhood upon it.

'G