ut
there; it would be most unsafe. Can't you lock the door?"

"No, the key's lost."

"I must try if I can find a padlock for it."

"I wish you would. It would take a load off my mind. By the by, I wanted
to warn you----"

But here one of the housemaids came along the landing, Mrs. Wilson's
voice sank to a whisper, and the only words audible were "Miss Monica",
"evening", and "wouldn't trust".

"I'll be extra careful," said Scott, as he clumped away.

Lindsay and Cicely waited several moments after the gallery was empty
before they ventured to emerge from behind the tapestry. They had the
great satisfaction of having learnt something. They now knew definitely
that there was a secret in connection with the lantern room which both
Mrs. Wilson and Scott were anxious to keep from them.

"What can it be?" speculated Cicely. "Did you notice what he said about
the noise? It must have been that dreadful groaning we heard."

"I've been thinking about that," replied Lindsay. "There may be a hidden
room, and someone shut up in it."

"As a prisoner, do you mean?"

Lindsay nodded.

"But who could it be?"

"I can't imagine, unless--could it possibly be old Sir Giles Courtenay?
Perhaps he didn't really die, after all. Don't you remember, in
_Ivanhoe_, how Athelstane of Coningsburgh was supposed to be killed, and
he was really only stunned; and the monks of St. Edmunds put an empty
coffin in the chapel, and kept him in a dungeon and pretended he was
dead, because they wanted his property? Mrs. Wilson may be doing the
same."

"How dreadful!" Cicely looked quite appalled at the idea. "I suppose she
goes up, then, to feed him. Scott must know too. I shouldn't have
thought it of Scott. I rather liked him. I expect they'll share the
money between them. I wonder what 'The Griffin' was warning him about. I
hope they're not hatching a plot against Monica!"

"It looks bad," said Lindsay, "decidedly bad. It's evidently something
shady, or they wouldn't want to keep it so quiet. It may be a very good
thing for Monica that we've taken the matter up."

"What shall we do?"

"We must stalk 'The Griffin' again, and try to follow her to that room,
and see what she does there."

"She's as wary as a weasel."

"Then we must be clever and outwit her. I'm positive she has some scheme
on hand that ought to be watched. One doesn't know how much may depend
upon it."

It was certainly very exciting to feel that dark deeds might be takin