r inn one night. What
kind of a room have you to offer me?"

There was a twinkle in his eyes I did not understand. He was looking
down the hall, and I thought his gaze rested on the corridor leading to
the oak parlor.

"I should like to sleep on the ground floor," he added.

"I have but one room," I began.

"And one is all I want," he smiled. Then, with a quick glance at my
face: "I suppose you are a little particular whom you put into the oak
parlor. It is not every one who can appreciate such romantic
surroundings."

I surveyed him, completely puzzled. Whereupon he looked at me with an
expression of surprise and incredulity that added to the mystery of the
moment.

"The room is gloomy and uninviting," I declared; "but beyond that, I do
not know of any especial claim it has upon our interest."

"You astonish me," was his evidently sincere reply; and he walked on,
very thoughtfully, straight to the room of which we were speaking. At
the door he paused. "Don't you know the secret of this room," he asked,
giving me a very bright and searching glance.

"If you mean anything concerning the Urquharts," I began doubtfully.

"Urquharts!" he carelessly repeated. "I do not know anything about them.
I am speaking of an old tradition. I was told--let me see how long it is
now--well, it must be sixteen years at least--that this house contained
a hidden chamber communicating with a certain oak parlor in the west
wing. I thought it was curious, and--Why, madam, I beg your pardon; I
did not mean to distress you. Can it be possible that you were ignorant
of this fact?--you, the owner of this house!"

"Are you sure it is a fact?" I gasped. I was trembling in every limb,
but managed to close the door behind us before I sank into a chair. "I
have lived in this house twenty years. I know its rooms and halls as I
do my own face, and never, never have I suspected that there was a nook
or corner in it which was not open to the light of day. Yet--yet it is
true that the rooms on this floor are smaller than those above, this one
especially." And I cast a horrified glance about me, that reminded me,
even against my will, of the searching and peculiar look I had seen cast
in the same direction by Mr. Urquhart sixteen years before.

"I see that I have stumbled upon a bit of knowledge that has been kept
from the purchasers of this property," observed the old gentleman.
"Well, that does not detract from the interest of the occasion. Whe