to him from the porch.

"Don't do too much trimming in the orchard, Lucas, till I have a look at
the trees. I have a book about the care of an old orchard, and perhaps I
can make something out of this one."

"Plenty of other wood handy, Miss Lyddy," declared the lanky young fellow.
"And it'll be easier to split than apple and peach wood, too."

'Phemie, meanwhile, had said she would run in and find the candle she had
dropped in her fright the night before; but in truth it was more for the
purpose of seeing the east wing of the old house by daylight--and that
skeleton.

"No need for Lyddy to come in here and have a conniption fit, too,"
thought the younger sister, "through coming unexpectedly upon that Thing
in the case.

"And, my gracious! he might just as well have been the author of that
mysterious speech I heard. I should think he _would_ be tired of staying
shut up in that box," pursued the girl, giggling nervously, as she stood
before the open case in which the horrid thing dangled.

Light enough came through the cracks in the closed shutters to reveal to
her the rooms that the old doctor had so long occupied.

'Phemie closed the skeleton case and picked up her candle. Then she
continued her investigation of the suite to the third room. Here were
shelves and work-benches littered with a heterogeneous collection of
bottles, tubes, retorts, filters, and other things of which 'Phemie
did not even know the names or uses.

There was a door, too, that opened directly into the back yard. But this
door was locked and double-bolted. She was sure that the person, or
persons, whom she had heard talking the night before had not been in this
room. When she withdrew from the east wing she locked the green-painted
door as she had found it; but in addition, she removed the key and hid
it where she was sure nobody but herself would be likely to find it.

Later she tackled Lucas.

"I don't suppose you--or any of your folks--were up here last night,
Lucas?" she asked the young farmer, out of her sister's hearing.

"Me, Miss? I should say not!" replied the surprised Lucas.

"But I heard voices around the house."

"Do tell!" exclaimed he.

"Who would be likely to come here at night?"

"Why, I never heard the beat o' that," declared Lucas. "No, ma'am!"

"Sh! don't let my sister hear," whispered 'Phemie. "She heard nothing."

"Air you sure----" began Lucas, but at that the young girl snapped him up
quick enough:

"