kness of the walls, shown by the depth of the window
embrasures, which in older days had been put to sterner purposes; they
admired the solid strength of the ties and hammer-beams in the roofs,
and scrutinized the few articles of ancient furniture and tapestry the
rooms contained, and the massive oaken iron-bound door which admitted to
the garden.

"Now we will go up to the top room," Morriston proposed. "It is used only
for lumber, but there is quite a good view from it."

He preceded the rest of the party up the winding stairs to the
topmost door.

"Hullo!" he exclaimed, pushing at it, "the door is locked. And the key
appears to have been taken away," he added, bending down and feeling
about in the imperfect light.

The whole party was consequently held up on the narrow stairs. "I'll
go and ask what has become of the key," Morriston said, making his way
past them.

In a minute he returned, presently followed by the butler.

"How is it that this top door is locked, Stent?" he asked. "And where
is the key?"

"I don't know, sir. Alfred mentioned this morning that the door was
locked and the key taken away; we thought you must have locked it, sir."

"I? No, I've not been up here since the morning of the ball, when I had
those old things brought up from the lower room to be out of the way."

"Did you lock the door then, sir?"

"No. Why should I? I am certain I did not. Perhaps one of the men did.
Just go and inquire. And have the key looked for."

"Very good, sir."

"This is rather provoking," Morriston said, as they waited. "I
particularly wanted to show you the view, which should be lovely on a
clear day like this. If we have to wait much longer the light will be
going. Besides, it is quite a quaint old room with a curious recess
formed by the bartizan you may have noticed from outside."

Presently the butler returned accompanied by a footman with several keys.

"We can't find the right key, sir," he announced. "No one seems to
have seen it. Alfred has brought a few like it, thinking one might
possibly fit."

None of them, however, would go into the lock, not even the
smallest of them.

"I can't make it out, sir," said the man, kneeling to get more
effectively to work. But no key would enter. The footman at last took a
box of matches from his pocket, struck a light and, holding it to the
key-hole, peered in.

"Why, the key is in the lock, on the other side, sir," he said in
astonishment.

"Then t