he end of the hall. A door faced her which she was sure
must lead into the east wing. There, Aunt Jane had said, old Dr. Polly
Phelps had had his office, consultation room, and workshop, or laboratory.
'Phemie's hand hesitated on the latch.

Should she venture into the old doctor's rooms? The greater part of his
long and useful life had been spent behind this green-painted door.
'Phemie, of course, had never seen her grandfather; but she had seen
his picture--that of a tall, pink-faced, full-bodied man, his cheeks
and lips cleanly shaven, but with a fringe of silvery beard under his
chin, and long hair.

It seemed to her for a moment as though, if she opened this door, the
apparition of the old doctor, just as he was in his picture, would be
there to face her.

"You little fool!" whispered the shaken 'Phemie to herself. "Go on!"

She lifted the latch. The door seemed to stick. She pressed her knee
against the panel; it did not give at all.

And then she discovered that the door was locked. But the key was there,
and in a moment she turned it creakingly and pushed the door open.

The air in the corridor had been still; but suddenly a strong breeze drew
this green door wide open. The wind rushed past, blew out the candle,
and behind her the other door, which she had left ajar, banged heavily,
echoing and reechoing through the empty house.

'Phemie was startled, but she understood at once the snuffing of her
candle and the closing of the other door. She only hoped Lyddy would
not be frightened by the noise--or by her absence from her side.

"I'll see it through, just the same," declared the girl, her teeth set
firmly on her lower lip. "Ha! driven away by a draught--not I!"

She groped her way into the room and closed the green door. There was a
match upon her candlestick and she again lighted the taper. Quickly the
first room in this east wing suite was revealed to her gaze.

This had been the anteroom, or waiting-room for the old doctor's patients.
There was a door opening on the side porch. A long, old-fashioned settee
stood against one wall, and some splint-bottomed chairs were set stiffly
about the room, while a shaky mahogany table, with one pedestal leg,
occupied the center of the apartment.

'Phemie was more careful of the candle now and shielded the flame with
her hollowed palm as she pushed open the door of the adjoining room.

Here was a big desk with a high top and drop lid, while there were rows
up