which she could not comprehend.

She was now getting much alarmed and dropping the boughs, took to
flight, and she had scarcely cleared the rubbish, when Sappho came
scouring after her, jumping upon her as if glad to see her again. She
patted her head, saying "My poor Sappho, what have you seen in that dark
place? I wish you had a tongue to tell me."

Tamar immediately returned to the Tower, and hastened to tell her
adventure to Mrs. Margaret.

"Oh!" said the old lady, "is it so? that reminds me of what I heard my
father say, many and many is the year gone by, that there was an old
tradition of a secret passage underground from the Monastery to the
Tower; but he never knew where the passage came into the Tower. But be
it which way it might, it must needs have passed under the moat."

"How strange!" said Tamar; "but when that passage was made, it could not
have been secret; many people must have known it, and I wonder, then,
how it could have been so entirely forgotten."

"Who shall say how things were done in those days," said Mrs. Margaret;
"those times long past, when things uncanny had more power than they
have now? But it is not good to talk of such things," added the lady;
"and now, Tamar, let that which you have seen to-day never again be
mentioned by you; for, as sure as the master should hear of it, he would
be for looking into the cavern, and, Heaven knows what he might stir up,
if he were to disturb such things as might be found there. I only wish
that that the mischief may not be already done!"