is another
room below, and partly under ground. That is the room where Walter Scott
represents the false keys to have been forged."

"What false keys?" asked Waldron.

"Why, the story is," said the guide, "that young Douglass had false keys
made, to resemble the true ones as nearly as possible, so as to deceive
his mother. He then contrived to get the true ones away from his mother,
and put the false ones in their place. I will show you where he did
this, and explain how he did it, when we go into the square tower."

"Let us go now," said Waldron.

So they all went across the court yard, and approached the square tower.
The guide explained to the boys that formerly the entrance was in the
second story, through an opening in the wall, which he showed them. The
way to get up to this opening was by a step ladder, which could be let
down or drawn up by the people within, by means of chains coming down
from a window above. The step ladder was, of course, entirely gone; but
deep grooves were to be seen in the sill of the upper window, which had
been worn by the chains in letting down and drawing up the ladder.

To accommodate modern visitors a flight of loose stone steps had been
laid outside the square tower, leading to a window in the lower story of
it. Mr. George and the boys ascended these steps and went in. The lower
room was the kitchen, and they were all much interested and amused in
looking at the very strange and curious fixtures and contrivances which
remained there--the memorials of the domestic usages of those ancient
times.

In a corner of the room was a flight of steps, built in the thickness of
the wall, leading to the story above. This was the dining room and
parlor of the castle.

"It was here," said the guide, "according to the story of Walter Scott,
that Douglass contrived to get possession of the castle keys. There was
a window on one side of the room, from which there was a view, across
the water of the lake, of the burying ground already mentioned. Lady
Douglass, like almost every body else in those times, was somewhat
superstitious, and William arranged it with a page that he was to
pretend to see what was called a corpse light, moving about in the
burying ground; and while his mother went to see, he shifted the keys
which she had left upon the table, taking the true ones himself, and
leaving the false ones in their place.

"That is the story which Sir Walter Scott relates," said the guide; "bu