see if Mr. Green is in his
room."

"Go and see yourself. I'm not your waiter," was growled back, in an
ill-natured voice.

"In a moment I'll ascertain for you," said Matthew, politely.

After waiting on some new customers, who were just entering, Matthew
went up-stairs to obtain the desired information. As he left the
bar-room, Frank got up and went behind the counter, where he mixed
himself a glass of liquor, and drank it off, evidently with real
enjoyment.

"Rather a dangerous business for one so young as you are," remarked the
gentleman with whom I had come, as Frank stepped out of the bar, and
passed near where we were standing. The only answer to this was an
ill-natured frown, and an expression of face which said almost as
plainly as words, "It is none of your business."

"Not there," said Matthew, now coming in.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, sir."

But there was a certain involuntary hesitation in the bar-keeper's
manner, which led to a suspicion that his answer was not in accordance
with the truth. We walked out together, conferring on the subject, and
both concluded that his word was not to be relied upon.

"What is to be done?" was asked.

"Go to Green's room," I replied, "and knock at the door. If he is
there, he may answer, not suspecting your errand."

"Show me the room."

I went up with him, and pointed out No. 11. He knocked lightly, but
there came no sound from within. He repeated the knock; all was silent.
Again and again he knocked, but there came back only a hollow
reverberation.

"There's no one there," said he, returning to where I stood, and we
walked down-stairs together. On the landing, as we reached the lower
passage, we met Mrs. Slade. I had not, during this visit at Cedarville,
stood face to face with her before. Oh! what a wreck she presented,
with her pale, shrunken countenance, hollow, lustreless eyes, and bent,
feeble body. I almost shuddered as I looked at her. What a haunting and
sternly rebuking spectre she must have moved, daily, before the eyes of
her husband.

"Have you noticed Mr. Green about this morning?" I asked.

"He hasn't come down from his room yet," she replied.

"Are you certain?" said my companion. "I knocked several times at the
door just now, but received no answer."

"What do you want with him?" asked Mrs. Slade, fixing her eyes upon us.

"We are in search of Willy Hammond; and it has been suggested that he
was with Green."

"Knock twice lightly,