ed to rest, Lady Gowan
stepped forward out of the darkness, went close to the door, bent down,
and caught the ring at the end of the hanging chain, and raised it to
hook it across and fasten it to secure the door.

She hardly made a sound with foot or dress; but as she drew the chain
tight it chinked against the hook, and the officer heard her.

"Ha!" he shouted, with his face to the broken glass. "I see you there.
Open this door, or--"

_Click_, _click_ went the chain into its place, and, raising the blade
of his sword, the officer made a sweeping blow at the brave woman, which
struck her on the shoulder as she drew back.

"Now," he roared, "will you open?"

The answer was a faint rustling, as Lady Gowan drew back into the dark
part of the hall, fortunately unhurt, for the arm which wielded the
sword was the left, and thoroughly crippled by its owner's position.

"Lucky for you I didn't give point," he muttered.

Then aloud: "Once more, in the King's name, open this door!"

"I'd die first," said Lady Gowan to herself; and she stood close to the
foot of the great staircase listening, and hardly daring to breathe, as
she strained her ears to catch some sound of what might be going on
upstairs, her wildly dilated eyes fixed the while on the slips of
windows on either side of the door. But from within the house all she
could hear was a low sobbing from the housekeeper's room below, and the
murmur of her old servant's voice as she tried to calm the hysterical
girl who was nearly crazy with terror.

But her attention was taken up directly by the voices outside, which
came plainly to her through the broken windows.

"Well?" said the officer sharply; and she knew by the reply that one of
the men must have climbed the iron railings and been down into the area.

"Both windows covered with big iron bars, sir, and the door seems a
reg'lar thick 'un."

"How long will they be getting back, sergeant, with the hammer and
crowbars?"

"'Nother ten minutes or quarter-hour, sir."

"Bah! Well, run round to the back, and tell them to keep a sharp
look-out. See that the men are well awake at the end of the street, and
keep two more ready back and front to stop every one who comes out of
the houses in case he tries to escape by the roof."

"Yes, sir."

"If any one appears on the roof, and does not surrender, fire."

The sergeant's heavy paces were heard going along the pavement, every
step seeming to crush down Lady G