s, themselves hidden away among
the rafters of this unexplored spot the treasure they believed lost and
now constantly bewailed?

The doubt thus temporarily raised in my mind made me very uneasy for a
moment, but I soon dismissed it and dropping this subject for the nonce,
began to speak of the houses as they now looked and of the changes which
had evidently been made in them since they had left the one and entered
the other.

"I understand," I ventured at last, "that in those days this house also
had a door opening on the alley-way. Where did it lead--do you mind
my asking?--into a room or into a hallway? I am so interested in old
houses."

They did not resent this overt act of curiosity; I had expected Miss
Thankful to, but she didn't. Some recollection connected with the name
of Saunders had softened her heart toward me and made her regard with
indulgence an interest which she might otherwise have looked upon as
intrusive.

"We long ago boarded up that door," she answered. "It was of very little
use to us from our old library."

"It looked into one of the rooms then?" I persisted, but with a wary
gentleness which I felt could not offend.

"No; there is no room there, only a passageway. But it has closets in
it, and we did not like to be seen going to them any time of day. The
door had glass panes in it, you know, just like a window. It made the
relations so intimate with people only a few feet away."

"Naturally," I cried, "I don't wonder you wanted to shut them off if you
could." Then with a sudden access of interest which I vainly tried to
hide, I thought of the closets and said with a smile, "The closets were
for china, I suppose; old families have so much china."

Miss Charity nodded, complacency in every feature; but Miss Thankful
thought it more decorous to seem to be indifferent in this matter.

"Yes, china; old pieces, not very valuable. We gave what we had of worth
to our sister when she married. We keep other things there, too, but
they are not important. We seldom go to those closets now, so we don't
mind the darkness."

"I--I dote on old china," I exclaimed, carefully restraining myself from
appearing unduly curious. "Won't you let me look at it? I know that it
is more valuable than you think. It will make me happy for the whole
day, if you will let me see these old pieces. They may not look
beautiful to you, you are so accustomed to them; but to me every one
must have a history, or a history