ich made the boy wince, and
then draw himself up proudly.

"I'm not brave," he said, "for I feel as if I'd give anything not to go;
but it seems to me as if it would be very cowardly to give up, and I
mean to go."

He seized the balustrade as he spoke, gave it a wrench, the stair shot
from its fastening, was pushed back, and without another word Scarlett
thrust in his lighted candle, followed it, and Fred stood looking in as
his companion gradually disappeared.

"Come along, Fred," came in muffled tones from beneath the landing; and,
uttering a sigh, Fred thrust in his candlestick and followed, to rise,
after a slow horizontal progress, to a perpendicular position, behind
his leader.

The way seemed far easier now, and in a very few minutes they were
standing again in the chamber, where they paused for a few moments
before Scarlett drew open the panelled door in the corner, and once more
held the light above his head as he gazed down the mysterious stairs.

"Shall I go first?" asked Fred, in a voice which invited a refusal of
his services.

"No; it's our place, and I'll lead," was the reply.

"Don't put the candle out again," said Fred, with a sigh of relief, and
speaking in warning tones. "I say, Scar, perhaps there's a place like
this at the Manor."

"We'll see, when we've found out all about this," replied Scarlett, as
he began to descend, while Fred followed closely, the two lights making
their task easier, while their confidence began now to increase as they
encountered no danger.

The foot of the steps was reached in safety, the candle being held low
down, so as to guard against any pitfall or fresh flight of stairs in
the way.

But all was perfectly level as the boys went on along the narrow,
arched-over passage, their light footfalls sending on before them a
curious series of reverberations, while their progress for quite a
hundred yards was singularly monotonous and uneventful.

"Why, how far does it go?" said Fred at last, becoming bolder now, but
feeling startled as he heard his words go whispering away.

"Very little farther. Look!"

The lights were held up, and they stopped short, for a few yards before
them was a narrow, nail-studded door, very similar to the one leading
into the chamber, but heavier looking, and with a great rusty bolt at
top and bottom.

"That's the end of it, then," said Fred. "I say, I know what it is.
That's the vault where they used to bury the old Markhams."