the
narrow, tortuous passage. Julian closed the door behind them,
showing how the cleverly-contrived spring acted; then they
proceeded step by step in cautious silence--for this passage
skirted a great portion of the house, and was very long--towards
their destination, till at last they stood within the secret
chamber itself; and Julian extinguished the light, to let the
evening sunshine filter in and show how much of illumination it
could give.

"Now, Brother Emmanuel, let us show you all," said Edred eagerly;
"for methinks it must be very few visits we must pay thee, and
those at dead of night. For I much mistake me if we be not closely
watched by some spy of the prior's these next days, and it will not
do for any to think we have hidden haunts of our own."

"Nay, nay, my children; ye must not run into peril for me. Far
rather would I--"

"I know--I know!" cried Edred. "But in truth thou needst not fear
to rest here. This is the lost chamber, the secret of which had
perished for well nigh a generation, till kindly fortune made it
known to us. All men think that the chamber lay in the portion of
Chad that was destroyed in the late wars. None dream it still
exists. But here it is, and Bertram has made out little by little
exactly where it lies, and I will tell it thee.

"This portion at the lower and darker end is jammed in betwixt the
ceiled roof of the great gun room and that attic chamber where the
dry roots are stored away in the winter months before the frost
binds them into the ground. None enter that attic in the summertide
save rats and mice, and though there may be many passing to and fro
in the gun room, no sound from here can penetrate there; for we
have tried times and again, when there has been none by to hear, if
we can make each other hear sounds from either place. From the gun
room noise will, if very great, penetrate hither; but nothing thou
canst do will make them below hear thee.

"Then this wider and lighter and loftier portion, where the light
comes in, is but a space filched away from the roofs and leads, and
jammed in in such a fashion that it would defy a magician to find
it from without. We tried days and days and could not do it, and
never did, albeit we can climb like cats and had an inkling where
it was--until we put Julian within to shout aloud and guide us by
his voice. It is so placed that none can get really nigh to those
places where the cracks are made to let in the light and a