ion.

He walked resolutely to the door, threw it open and cast the beam of
light on to the staircase. Softly he began to descend. Before the
study door he paused. There was no sound. He threw open the door,
directing the torch-ray into the room.

Cutting a white lane through the blackness, it shone fully upon his
writing-table, which was a rather fine Jacobean piece having a sort
of quaint bureau superstructure containing cabinets and drawers. He
could detect nothing unusual in the appearance of the littered table.
A tobacco jar stood there, a pipe resting in the lid. Papers and
books were scattered untidily as he had left them, surrounding a tray
full of pipe and cigarette ash. Then, suddenly, he saw something else.

One of the bureau drawers was half opened.

Stuart stood quite still, staring at the table. There was no sound in
the room. He crossed slowly, moving the light from right to left. His
papers had been overhauled methodically. The drawers had been
replaced, but he felt assured that all had been examined. The light
switch was immediately beside the outer door, and Stuart walked
over to it and switched on both lamps. Turning, he surveyed the
brilliantly illuminated room. Save for himself, it was empty. He
looked out into the hallway again. There was no one there. No sound
broke the stillness. But that consciousness of some near presence
asserted itself persistently and uncannily.

"My nerves are out of order!" he muttered. "No one has touched my
papers. I must have left the drawer open myself."

He switched off the light and walked across to the door. He had
actually passed out intending to return to his room, when he became
aware of a slight draught. He stopped.

Someone or something, evil and watchful, seemed to be very near again.
Stuart turned and found himself gazing fearfully in the direction of
the open study door. He became persuaded anew that someone was hiding
there, and snatching up an ash stick which lay upon a chair in the
hall he returned to the door. One step into the room he took and
paused--palsied with a sudden fear which exceeded anything he had
known.

A white casement curtain was drawn across the French windows ... and
outlined upon this moon-bright screen he saw a tall figure. It was
that of a _cowled man_!

Such an apparition would have been sufficiently alarming had the cowl
been that of a monk, but the outline of this phantom being suggested
that of one of the Misericordia