clever--thinks he knows everything--but he
doesn't know the trick of this table. I could hide a regiment of Sepoys
in this table, my dear. Well, well, perhaps not Sepoys--too big, too
big--but I could hide all the State papers of the Presidency. There are
drawers enough for that.'

Hartfield watched him intently, with thoughtful brow. There was a
mystery here, a mystery of the deepest dye; and it was for him--it must
needs be his task, welcome or unwelcome, to unravel it.

This was the Maulevrier skeleton.

'Now, come with me,' said the old man, clutching Mary's wrist, and
drawing her towards the half-open door leading into the bedroom.

She had a feeling of shrinking, for there was something uncanny about
the old man, something that might be life or death, might belong to this
world or the next; but she had no fear. In the first place, she was
courageous by nature, and in the second her husband was with her, a
tower of strength, and she could know no fear while he was at her side.

The strange old man led the way across his bedroom to an inner chamber,
oak pannelled, with very little furniture, but holding much treasure in
the shape of trunks, portmanteaux--all very old and dusty--and two large
wooden cases, banded with iron.

Before one of these cases the man knelt down, and applied a key to the
padlock which fastened it. He gave the candle to Lord Hartfield to hold,
and then opened the box. It seemed to be full of books, which he began
to remove, heaping them on the floor beside him; and it was not till he
had cleared away a layer of dingy volumes that he came to a large metal
strong box, so heavy that he could not lift it out of the chest.

Slowly, tremulously, and with quickened breathing, he unlocked the box
where it was, and raised the lid.

'Look,' he said eagerly, 'this is her legacy--this is my little girl's
legacy.'

Lord Hartfield bent down and looked at the old man's treasure, by the
wavering light of the candle; Mary looking over his shoulder, breathless
with wonder.

The strong box was divided into compartments. One, and the largest, was
filled with rouleaux of coin, packed as closely as possible. The others
contained jewels, set and unset--diamonds, emeralds, rubies,
sapphires--which flashed back the flickering flame of the candle with
glintings of rainbow light.

'These are all for her--all--all,' exclaimed the old man. 'They are
worth a prince's ransom. Those rouleaux are all gold; those