an,' said the woman with a sob.

At this moment the door of the chamber slowly opened. The woman turned
and gazed at it, frowning, her lips wide apart.

Logan went to the door, looked into the passage, closed the door and
locked it; the key had to be turned twice, in the old fashion, and worked
with a creaking jar.

'I had crooned thae last words,

And Christ receive thy saul,

when the door opened, as ye saw it did the now. It is weel kenned that a
corp canna lie still in a room with the door hafflins open. I rose to
lock it, the catch is crazy. I was backing to the door, with my face to
the feet o' the corp. I saw them move backwards, slow they moved, and my
heart stood still in my breist. Then I saw'--here she stepped to the
head of the bed and drew apart the curtains, which opened in the
middle--'I saw the curtain was open, and naething but blackness ahint it.
Ye see, my Lord, ahint the bed-heid is the entrance o' the auld secret
passage. The stanes hae lang syne fallen in, and closed it, but my Lord
never would have the hole wa'ed up. "There's nae draught, Jean, or nane
to mention, and I never was wastefu' in needless repairs," he aye said.
Weel, when I looked that way, his face, down to the chafts, was within
the blackness, and aye draw, drawing further ben. Then, I shame to say
it, a sair dwawm cam ower me, I gae a bit chokit cry, and I kenned nae
mair till I cam to mysel, a' the candles were out, and the chamber was
mirk and lown. I heard the skirl o' a passing train, and I crap to the
bed, and the skirl kind o' reminded me o' living folk, and I felt a' ower
the bed wi' my hands. There was nae corp. Ye ken that the Enemy has
power, when a corp lies in a room, and the door is hafflins closed.
Whiles they sit up, and grin and yammer. I hae kenned that. Weel, how
long I had lain in the dwawm I canna say. The train that skirled maun
hae been a coal train that rins by about half-past three in the morning.
There was a styme o' licht that streeled in at the open door, frae a
candle your lordship set on a table in the lobby; the auld lord would hae
nae lichts in the house after the ten hours. Sae I got to the door, and
grippit to the candle, and flew off to your lordship's room, and the rest
ye ken.'

'Thank you, very much, Mrs. Bower,' said Logan. 'You quite understand,
Merton, don't you?'

'I thoroughly understand your story, Mrs. Bower,' said Merton.

'We need not keep you any longer, Mrs