h the window
a smooth, green lawn, with the young trees which had been planted
growing luxuriantly upon it.

"I suppose," said Mr. George, "that before the lake was lowered the
water came up close under the window."

"Yes, sir," said the guide; "and if you stand upon the sill, and look
down, you will see a course of projecting stone at the foot of the wall
which was laid to meet the wash of the water."

"Let me see," said Waldron, eagerly.

So saying, Waldron advanced by the side of Mr. George, and looked down.
By leaning over pretty far he could see the course of stone very
distinctly that the guide had referred to.

"Who brought the boat here for Mary to go away in?" asked Waldron.

"Young Douglass," said the guide, "Lady Douglass's son. He was a young
lad, only eighteen years old. His mother was Queen Mary's enemy; but
_he_ pitied her, and became her friend, and he devised this way to
assist her to escape. There was a plan devised before this, by his
brother. His name was George Douglass. The one who came in the boat was
William. George's plan was for Mary to go on shore in the disguise of a
laundress. The laundress came over to the island from the shore in a
boat, to bring the linen; and while she was in Mary's room Mary
exchanged clothes with her, and attempted to go on shore in the boat
with the empty basket. But the boatmen happened to notice her hand,
which was very delicate and white, and they knew that such a hand as
that could never belong to a real laundress. So they made her lift up
her veil, and thus she was discovered."

"That was very curious," said Waldron.

"It is supposed," said the guide, "that this floor, where we stand, was
Mary's drawing room, and the floor above was her bed chamber. The
staircase where she went up is _there_, in the wall."

"Let's go up," said Rollo.

So Rollo and Waldron went up the stairway. It was very narrow, and
rather steep, and the steps were much worn away. When the boys reached
the top they came to an opening, through which they could look down to
where Mr. George and the guide were standing below; though, of course,
they could not go out; for the floor in the second story was entirely
gone.

"There was a room above the bed chamber," said the guide, "as we see by
the windows and the fireplace, but there was no stairway to it from
Queen Mary's apartments. The only access to it was through that door,
which leads in from the top of the rampart wall. And there