d Lindsay at last. "I
expect people made hiding-places where they wouldn't be so easy to get
at. Let us go and explore the attics. We've never been up there yet."

They reached the top storey without encountering even a servant. Somehow
it felt a little eerie to hear nothing but the echo of their own
footsteps, and to find themselves quite alone in such an out-of-the-way
part of the house. The Manor was very large, and nearly the whole of the
left wing was unoccupied. They passed door after door, all leading to
more and more empty rooms, till Lindsay began to grow almost dismayed at
the bigness of their undertaking.

"I didn't know the place was so huge!" she sighed. "I'm afraid one might
spend years looking round and examining it thoroughly. I don't wonder
Monica lost heart. There isn't the faintest clue to go upon, either, to
give one a hint where to hunt."

"Hadn't we better be turning back?"

Cicely was growing rather tired of the fruitless attempt.

"In a minute. Let us go to the end of this landing."

The passage in itself was like the others, but it differed in one
particular, for it terminated in a narrow, winding staircase. This
looked tempting--just the sort of thing, in fact, that they felt ought
to lead to somewhere interesting and important.

"It's like the way to the turret chamber where Sir Walter was
imprisoned, in _Tales of the Middle Ages_," said Lindsay.

"Or where Katherine was dragged when Sir Gilbert found she had overheard
the secret plot," said Cicely.

They scrambled almost on hands and knees up sixteen steep steps. At the
top was a small landing, and exactly facing them, up three steps more,
stood a closed door. The girls paused for a moment to consider what to
do next.

"Listen!" said Cicely suddenly. "I thought I heard a queer noise."

There certainly was a most extraordinary sound issuing from the room
opposite. It resembled somebody groaning, or giving long-drawn, sighing
breaths. It went on for a few moments and then stopped, then commenced
louder than before, and finally died away altogether.

"What is it?" whispered Cicely, rather nervously.

"I don't know, but I'm going to look and see."

"Oh! Dare you? I hope it's nothing that will bounce out!"

[Illustration: "SHE OPENED THE DOOR CAUTIOUSLY"]

"Nonsense! Why should it?"

"It might. Do be careful!"

"Don't be silly!" said Lindsay. "We came up here on purpose to discover
things, and help Monica. If there's a noise