st, but she was soon found, for she was not fond of
venturing far into the dark corners round Maskells; then it was Jackie's
turn, and then it came to Mary.

Determined to distinguish herself, and find a more difficult place than
the others, she wandered round to the side of the house which looked
upon the neglected orchard, and was furthest away from where Fraulein
and Rice were sitting. She would not cry "Whoop!" for a long while, she
thought, till she had found a very good place indeed. As she pushed her
way among the low boughs of the apple-trees, and through the tall
tangled grass which reached nearly to her waist, she felt very bold and
adventurous, for the children seldom ventured on this side--it was
unknown ground. Certainly the house looked far more mournful and
ruinous here than it did in front. Wooden shutters were fastened
outside most of the windows, and one of them had swung back and gave a
dismal creak now and then on its rusty hinges. Trailing masses of
convolvulus and ivy and Virginian creeper were hanging about everywhere,
and the walls were covered so thickly that for some time Mary looked in
vain for an entrance. But at last she saw a little low-arched door.
How inviting it looked! No doubt it would be locked; but at least she
would try it, and if she could get in it would be a splendid
hiding-place. The others would never, never find her. She lifted the
iron ring which hung from the lock, gave a little twist and a push, and
was surprised to find that it yielded easily. Before her was an almost
entirely dark room with a low vaulted ceiling; through the cracks in the
closed shutters came faint streaks of light, and she could just see that
at the end of it there was another door like the one she had entered.

Mary's heart beat fast with excitement. What was on the other side of
that door? Hidden treasure, perhaps, or a dungeon where some captive
had been pining for years! Here was an adventure, indeed! Everything
else was now completely forgotten. She had no doubt that she was on the
very edge of some great discovery; and though she did wish for a second
that Jackie was there too, she decided directly afterwards that there
was more honour and glory in being quite alone.

So she went boldly up to the door with a fast-beating heart and turned
the handle. Wonderful! It opened at once, and straight in front of her
there rose a short steep flight of stone steps, with another door,
partly