. For a whole fortnight they had been able
to find out nothing, yet on the very day following this disappointment
something occurred which seemed to add another link to their chain of
strange circumstances. They had managed to escape Miss Frazer's
vigilance, and were indulging in a surreptitious game of "tig" along the
forbidden ground of the picture gallery, when one of the bedroom doors
opened, and Mrs. Wilson appeared in the distance, carrying a pile of
clean towels in her arms.

"There's 'The Griffin'!" exclaimed Lindsay. "She mustn't catch us here,
on any account. She'll tell Miss Russell, and we shall each lose a
conduct mark. Quick! Let us hide somewhere till she's gone by."

The ancient arras seemed to offer a safe retreat. As fast as possible
they whisked behind it, and stood flattening themselves against the
wall, hoping Mrs. Wilson would notice nothing lumpy or unusual as she
passed.

At the same time came a sound of heavy tramping footsteps from the other
end of the gallery, and Cicely, peeping through a hole in the tapestry
which happened to be on a convenient level with her eyes, saw Scott, the
gardener, coming down the flight of stairs which led from the upper
landing. He met Mrs. Wilson exactly opposite the hiding-place where the
girls were concealed, and the two stopped to speak, quite unaware that
listening ears were eagerly following their conversation.

"Have you been in the lantern room?" began the old housekeeper uneasily.
"I'd no idea you were going up this afternoon."

"Thought I'd best take a look," returned Scott.

"There wasn't any need. I was there myself this morning, and things were
all right."

"I don't know what you may call all right," grunted Scott. "There was
far too much noise going on to satisfy me."

"You don't think there's any danger----?" burst out Mrs. Wilson, in an
anxious voice.

"No, no!" interrupted Scott quickly. "Not for the present, at any rate.
Don't upset yourself. Still, it needs care, especially with all this
crew in the house."

"Yes, it's that that's worrying me. I shan't breathe freely till they're
gone. And such an inquisitive, meddlesome set they are, too! You'd
scarcely believe the trouble they give me. Two of them took it into
their heads one day to go wandering on the upper landing. I actually
found them inside the lantern room!"

Scott gave an exclamation of something like alarm.

"That'll never do!" he said. "You mustn't let them go poking abo