al superstition and it was as firmly rooted as was
his faith in future forgiveness, and so I merely inquired:

"Is there a house there, Jasper?"

"Yes sar," said he, promptly, "da am a big squar one right in de
middle ob it."

"We must go and see what it looks like, and try to learn where those
sounds came from."

"S'cuse me, massa, dis chile don't set he foot on dat lan', kase ef he
do, he neber leabe it agin."

"Then if you are afraid," said I, tauntingly, "I will go alone; you
wait until I return."

"Massa," implored the frightened negro, "don't go; you neber kum back;
you is lost."

"Take me as near the shore as you dare go, and leave me there."

"Good-bye, massa; you is lost foreber."

Jasper took up the oar and pushed as near the shore as the shallow
water would permit; the keel of the boat grated on the sandy shore. I
stepped over the side of the boat and waded close up under the
overhanging branches, and forced my way through the dense growth which
shut this mysterious place from human sight. My black friend was
right; in the centre of the island stood the remains of a large stone
mansion, surrounded by what had once been a well-kept lawn. The grass
was growing green and rank, mingled with weeds, and both were
struggling for the mastery. Broken statues of costly marble and
workmanship were lying scattered about; great flower vases, shattered,
and green with the mould and moss of years, were covered with weak and
flowerless creepers.

The house is a two-story one with windows on every side, or rather
openings which had been windows at some former period. The dangling
remains of a heavy porch hung over the doorway, ready to fall and
crush the first careless intruder, while the massive oak doors stood
wide open as if to invite the victim within. The cornice was dropping
to pieces, and the woodwork had only the appearance of solidity--it
needed but the pressure of a hand to crumble into dust. The walls were
yet perfect, for they had been built of irregular sized stones, laid
up in cement, and so had outlasted the more perishable parts of this
costly structure. Inside the great doors was a wide hall of about
twenty feet, and its floors of hard wood had stood the test of time
remarkably. On one side of the hall was a room the whole depth of the
house; the ceiling was lofty, but the plaster had long since fallen
and become mere powder. It was empty; patches of mould had fastened
upon the walls, and a damp