within her, and all the hospitable hostess was in the ascendant.

"You are welcome to Black Hall, my dear Mrs. Blondelle," she said,
advancing to receive her guest. "And now, will you walk into our sitting
parlor and rest awhile before taking off your wraps; or shall I show
you at once to your rooms, which are quite ready for you?"

"At once to my rooms, if you please, Mrs. Berners; for, you see, my poor
little Cromartie is already fast asleep."

"Come, then; you will not have far to go. It is on this floor," said
Sybil, with a smile, as she led the way down the wide hall, past the
great staircase, and then turned to the right and went down a long
passage, until she came to a door, which she opened.

"Here is your bed-chamber," said Sybil, inviting her guest to enter a
large and richly furnished room; "and beyond this, and connected with
it, is another and a smaller apartment, which is properly the
dressing-room, but which I have had fitted up as a nursery for your
child and his nurse."

"Many thanks," replied Rosa Blondelle, as she followed her hostess into
the room, and glanced around with the natural curiosity we all feel in
entering a strange place.

The room was very spacious, and had many doors and windows. Its
furniture was all green, which would have seemed rather gloomy, but for
the bright wood fire on the hearth, that lighted up all the scene with
cheerfulness.

Sybil drew an easy-chair to the chimney corner, and invited her guest to
sit down.

But Rosa was too curious about her surroundings to yield herself
immediately to rest.

"What an interesting old place!" she said, walking about the chamber and
examining every thing.

Meanwhile the nurse-maid, more practical than her mistress, had found
the door of the adjoining nursery and passed into it to put her infant
charge to bed.

"Oh!" exclaimed Rosa, who had drawn aside one of the green moreen window
curtains and was looking out--"Oh! what a wild, beautiful place! But
these windows open right upon the grounds, and there are no outside
shutters! Is there no danger?"

"No danger whatever, my dear Mrs. Blondelle. These windows open at the
back of the house, upon the grounds, which run quite back to the foot of
the mountain. These grounds are _very_ private, being quite
inaccessible, except through the front grounds of the house," said
Sybil, soothingly.

"But oh!" whispered Mrs. Blondelle, nowise tranquilized by the answer of
her hostess--"Oh!