ot in, and filled it at the
sideboard."

"I say, Scood, you mustn't do that!" cried Kenneth sharply.

"Why not? She titn't want the whusky, but the young master tit. Who
shall Master Crant be, she should like to know!"

"Well, never mind now, only don't do it again. It's like stealing,
Scood."

"Like what?" cried the lad, firing up. "How could she steal the whusky
when she ton't trink it hersel? She wanted her master's whusky for the
young master. You talk creat nonsense."

"Ah, well, go on. We'll come directly."

Scoodrach went off scowling, and Kenneth scratched his head.

"He's a rum fellow, isn't he? Never mind; nobody saw him; only he
mustn't do it again. Why, I believe if father saw him getting in at the
window, he'd pepper him. Here, this way."

Kenneth entered another doorway, whose stones showed the holes where the
great hinges and bolts had been, and began to ascend a spiral flight of
broken stairs.

"Mind how you come. I'll give you a hand when it's dangerous."

"Dangerous!" said Max, shrinking.

"Well, I mean awkward; you couldn't fall very far."

"But why are we going up there?"

"Never mind; come on."

"But you are going to play me some trick."

"If you don't come directly, I will play you a trick. I wasn't going
to, but if you flinch, I'll shove you in one of the old dungeons, and
see how you like that."

"But--"

"Well, you are a coward! I didn't think Cockneys were such girls."

"I'm not a coward, and I'm coming," said Max quickly; "but I'm not used
to going up places like this."

"Oh, I am sorry!" cried Kenneth mockingly. "If I had known you were
coming, we'd have had the man from Glasgow to lay on a few barrels of
gas, and had a Brussels carpet laid down."

"Now, you are mocking at me," said Max quietly. "I could not help
feeling nervous. Go on, please. I'll come."

"He is a rum chap," said Kenneth, laughing to himself, as he disappeared
in the darkness.

"Do the steps go up straight?" said Max from below.

"No; round and round like a corkscrew. It won't be so dark higher up.
There used to be a loophole here, but the stones fell together."

Max drew a deep breath, and began stumbling up the spiral stairs, which
had mouldered away till some of them sloped, while others were deep
hollows; but he toiled on, with a half giddy, shrinking sensation
increasing as he rose.

"If you feel anything rush down by you," said Kenneth, in a hollow
whisper, "don't be