arrow wooden
staircase before them. Kitty obeyed him without a word. Her limbs
trembled beneath her with fatigue, and cold, and fear. It seemed to her
that Hugo was agitated, too. His face was averted, but his voice had an
unnatural sound.

They mounted two flights of stairs and came out upon a narrow landing,
where there were three doors: one of them a thick baize door, the others
narrow wooden ones. Hugo opened one of the wooden doors and showed a
small sitting-room, where a meal was laid, and a fire spread a pleasant
glow over the scene. The other door opened upon another narrow flight of
stairs, leading, as Kitty afterwards ascertained, to a small bed-room.

"Where is papa?" said Kitty, glancing hurriedly around her. "He cannot
be on this floor surely? Please take me to him at once, Mr. Luttrell."

"What have I done that I should be called Mr. Luttrell?" said Hugo, who
was pulling off his fur gloves and standing with his back to the door.
There was a look of triumph upon his face, which Kitty thought very
insolent, and could not understand. "We are cousins after a fashion, are
we not? You must eat and drink after your journey before you undergo any
agitation. There is a room prepared for you upstairs, I believe. This
meal seems to have been made ready for me as well as for you, however.
Let me give you a glass of wine."

He walked slowly towards the table as he spoke.

"I do not want anything," said Kitty, impatiently. "I want to see my
father. Where are the people of the house?"

"The people of the house? You saw the nurse just now. I will go and
ascertain, if you like, whether the patient can be seen or not."

"Let me come with you."

"I think not," said Hugo, slowly. "No, I will not trouble you to do
that. I will be back in a moment or two. Excuse me."

He made his exit very rapidly. From the sound that followed, it seemed
that he had gone through the baize door. After a moment's hesitation
Kitty followed and laid her hand on the brass handle. But she pushed in
vain. There was no latch and no key to be seen, but the door resisted
her efforts; and, as she stood hesitating, a man came up the narrow
stair which she had mounted on her way from the courtyard, and forced
her to retreat a step or two. He was carrying her box and hand-bag.

"This door is difficult to open," said Kitty. "Will you please open it
for me?"

The man, Hugo's factotum, Stevens, gave her an odd glance as he set down
his burden.

"