me against it and knocked it
over, not without noise. A loud cry from the other side of the wall
revealed the dismay he had caused. It was followed by a stillness, and
then a moaning.

He made haste to find Simmons, and send him to his master. He heard
nothing afterwards of the affair.

CHAPTER LXIII.

THE CLOSET.

Tender over lady Arctura, Donal would ask a question or two of the
housekeeper before disclosing what further he had found. He sought her
room, therefore, while Arctura and Davie, much together now, were
reading in the library.

"Did you ever hear anything about that little room on the stair,
mistress Brookes?" he asked.

"I canna say," she answered--but thoughtfully, "--Bide a wee: auld
auntie did mention something ance aboot--bide a wee--I hae a wullin'
memory--maybe I'll min' upo' 't i' the noo!--It was something aboot
biggin' up an' takin' doon--something he was to do, an' something he
never did!--I'm sure I canna tell! But gie me time, an' I'll min' upo'
't! Ance is aye wi' me--only I maun hae time!"

Donal waited, and said not a word.

"I min' this much," she said at length, "--that they used to be
thegither i' that room. I min' too that there was something aboot
buildin' up ae wa', an' pu'in' doon anither.--It's comin'--it's comin'
back to me!"

She paused again awhile, and then said:

"All I can recollec', Mr. Grant, is this: that efter her death, he
biggit up something no far frae that room!--what was't noo?--an' there
was something aboot makin' o' the room bigger! Hoo that could be by
buildin' up, I canna think! Yet I feel sure that was what he did!"

"Would you mind coming to the place?" said Donal. "To see it might help
you to remember."

"I wull, sir. Come ye here aboot half efter ten, an' we s' gang
thegither."

As soon as the house was quiet, they went. But Mistress Brookes could
recall nothing, and Donal gazed about him to no purpose.

"What's that?" he said at last, pointing to the wall on the other side
of which was the little chamber.

Two arches, in chalk, as it seemed, had attracted his gaze. Light
surely was about to draw nigh through the darkness! Chaos surely was
settling a little towards order!

The one arch was drawn opposite the hidden chamber; the other against
the earl's closet, as it had come to be called in the house--most of
the domestics thinking he there said his prayers. It looked as if there
had been an intention of piercing the wall with such a