e, and that her father's
correspondence with the Reverend Septimus Mastrum had not been very
satisfactory, when there was a slight scratching sound.

She turned quickly and saw that a ragged-looking squirrel had run down
the grey trunk of the tree, while, as soon as it saw her, it bounded
off, and to her surprise passed through the gateway leading into the
yard where the old stable stood.

Helen Grayson hardly knew why she did so, but she rose and followed the
squirrel, to find that she was not alone, for Peter the groom was in the
yard going on tiptoe toward the open door of the old range of buildings.

He touched his cap on seeing her.

"Squir'l, Miss," he said. "Just run in here."

"I saw it just now," said Helen. "Don't kill the poor thing."

"Oh no, Miss; I won't kill it," said Peter, as Helen went back into the
garden. "But I mean to catch it if I can."

Peter went into the dark old building and looked round, but there was no
sign of the squirrel. Still a little animal like that would be sure to
go upwards, so Peter climbed the half-rotten ladder, and stood in the
long dark range of lofts, peering among the rafters and ties in search
of the bushy-tailed little creature.

He walked to the end in one direction, then in the other, till he was
stopped by an old boarded partition, in which there was a door which had
been nailed up; but he remembered that this had a flight of steps, or
rather a broad-stepped old wood ladder, on the other side, leading to a
narrower loft right in the gable.

"Wonder where it can be got," said Peter to himself; and then he turned
round, ran along the loft, dropped down through the trap-door, and
nearly slipped and fell, so hurried was his flight.

Half-across the yard he came upon Dan'l wheeling a barrow full of mould
for potting.

"Hallo! what's the matter?"

Peter gasped and panted, but said nothing.

"Haven't seen a ghost, have you?" said Dan'l.

"Ye-es. No," panted Peter.

"Why, you white-faced, cowardly noodle!" cried Dan'l. "What d'yer
mean?"

"I--I. Come out of here into the garden," whispered Peter.

Dan'l was going down the garden to the potting-shed, so he made no
objection, and, arrived there, Peter, with solemn emphasis, told how he
had gone in search of the squirrel, and that there was something up in
the loft.

"Yes," said old Dan'l contemptuously--"rats."

"Yes; I know that," said Peter excitedly; and his eyes looked wild and
dilated; "but th