of Colonel Capel lay in state in the mystery-haunted room.

The servants were very reticent, and consequently but little was heard
of the proceedings in Albemarle Square. A good many loiterers had
stopped to stare at the darkened windows of the great mansion; but as
two coffins had been borne from the place, it was forgotten outside that
another still remained. What might have been some busy-body's business,
became no one's, and the horrible tragedy tended towards the
simplification, of the dead man's instructions.

"It is nine days now since the Colonel's commands should have been
fulfilled," said Mr Girtle, as they were seated at lunch in the
darkened dining-room--the same party, for Katrine had expressed her
determination to stay in the house through all the trouble, and Lydia
had offered to remain with her.

Katrine and Lydia had kept a great deal to their rooms; Mr Girtle spent
most of his time in the library, busy over papers, only appearing at
meal times, and, consequently, Paul Capel was thrown a great deal into
the society of Gerard Artis, treating him always in the most friendly
way, and declining to notice the barbs of the verbal arrows the other
was fond of launching.

One of Artis's favourite allusions was to the house his companion
inherited.

"I felt horribly jealous of you at first," he said. "Seemed such a pot
of money; but with special commands to live here with a haunted room,
and a mausoleum beyond it--no, thank you."

"What shall you do with the chamber of horrors?" said Artis, on another
occasion.

"You heard--it is to be built-up."

"No, no; I mean the bedroom. Ugh!"

"I shall take that as my own."

"What? A room haunted with the spirits of three dead men! Bah!
Impossible."

Then came the ninth day, and Mr Girtle announced that on the next his
instructions should be carried out precisely at twelve.

"That will give you ample time, Mr Capel, to visit a banker afterwards;
for, after the late experience, I should not lose an hour in depositing
your great uncle's bequest in the hands of your banker."

"You will go with me, I hope."

The old man looked pleased, and nodded.

"But I had reckoned upon seeing the jewels," said Katrine, with a smile
at the young heir, which made his heart throb, and Lydia shrink.

"That pleasure must be deferred, Miss D'Enghien," said the old lawyer,
crustily; and no more was said.

At twelve o'clock punctually, the next day, Mr Girtle unlocked