at he had no wish whatever
to see more of the documents.

As for Anastasia, she laughed at the idea of there being any foundation
underlying these fancies; she laughed at Mr Sharnall, and rallied
Westray, saying she believed that they both were going to embark on the
quest of the nebuly coat. To Miss Euphemia it was no laughing matter.

"I think, my dear," she said to her niece, "that all these searchings
after wealth and fortune are not of God. I believe that trying to
discover things"--and she used "things" with the majestic
comprehensiveness of the female mind--"is generally bad for man. If it
is good for us to be noblemen and rich, then Providence will bring us to
that station; but to try to prove one's self a nobleman is like
star-gazing and fortune-telling. Idolatry is as the sin of witchcraft.
There can be no _blessing_ on it, and I reproach myself for ever having
given dear Martin's papers to Mr Sharnall at all. I only did so
because I could not bear to go through them myself, and thought perhaps
that there might be cheques or something valuable among them. I wish I
had burnt everything at first, and now Mr Sharnall says he will not
have the papers destroyed till he has been through them. I am sure they
were no blessing at all to dear Martin. I hope they may not bewitch
these two gentlemen as well."

CHAPTER TWELVE.

The scheme of restoration had been duly revised in the light of Lord
Blandamer's generosity, and the work had now entered on such a
methodical progress that Westray was able on occasion to relax something
of that close personal supervision which had been at first so exacting.
Mr Sharnall often played for half an hour or more after the
evening-service, and on such occasions Westray found time, now and then,
to make his way to the organ-loft. The organist liked to have him
there; he was grateful for the token of interest, however slight, that
was implied in such visits; and Westray, though without technical
knowledge, found much to interest him in the unfamiliar surroundings of
the loft. It was a curious little kingdom of itself, situate over the
great stone screen, which at Cullerne divides the choir from the nave,
but as remote and cut off from the outside world as a desert island.
Access was gained to it by a narrow, round, stone staircase, which led
up from the nave at the south end of the screen. After the bottom door
of this windowless staircase was opened and shut, anyone asc