ied Fred, excitedly. "I mean to have it open now;"
and he rushed at the door, and thrust and drove, each effort moving it a
little more and a little more, the ironwork yielding with groan after
groan, as if it were remonstrating for being roused from a long, long
sleep, till the door struck against the wall with an echoing bang; and
once more the boys hesitated.

But there was nothing to alarm them. The heavy, dank odour came more
plainly, and, after a few minutes, Fred took one of the candles and
advanced into a stone vault about a dozen feet square, with a very low,
arched doorway opposite to them, and another flight of steps descending
into darkness, while on one side lay a little heap of rusty iron in the
last stages of decay.

"Why, the place is nothing but passages and cellars," cried Fred.

"This must be the end, though," replied Scarlett, eagerly. "We have
come a good way, and there should be a door at the bottom of these
stairs leading into the park."

"Let's come and see, then," cried Fred, advancing boldly enough now.
"What fun if we've found another way into the--Here, Scar, look, look!"

The boy had stopped half a dozen steps down, and he was stooping and
holding the candle as far as he could stretch as Scarlett reached his
side.

"Water?"

"Yes; water."

"What is it--a well?"

"I don't know. We could soon tell, if we had a stick. Here! what are
those at the side?"

They went back to the heap of old iron, and to their surprise found that
it was a collection of old arms and armour, rusted almost beyond
recognition.

From this heap they dragged a long sword, one which must have been
heavy, but which was now little better than a thin collection of scales.

"This will do," said Fred, returning to the farther doorway, and
descending till he was on the lowest step, where, reaching out, he tried
to sound the depth.

This proved an easy task, for, as near as they could make out, the water
was about a yard deep, and the steps went to the bottom, where all was
level ground.

They stretched out the lights, and gazed before them to where the
retreating passage grew lower and lower, till the top of the arch seemed
to have dipped down and touched the black water; and having satisfied
themselves that no farther progress could be made, Fred turned and said,
as he rubbed one ear--

"Now, if we were fishes or water-rats, we might find out some more.
But, I say, Scar, we've taken a deal of trouble to