against shoulder, climbing slowly to the rescue; in mid-sky a praying
woman; farther afield a huge head, and a severed arm the fingers of
which were clenched in menace: all these things I saw, and a score
others, as the clouds changed from minute to minute in form and
brightness, while the stars began to glow out like clusters of silver
lilies in the eastern sky.

We kept jolting on for so long a time through the twilight lanes, and
the evening darkened so rapidly, that I began to grow frightened. It was
like being lifted out of a dungeon, when the old fly drew up with a
jerk, and a shout of "House there!" and when I looked out and saw that
we were close to the lodge entrance of some park.

Presently a woman, with a child in her arms, came out of the lodge and
proceeded to open the gate for us. Said the driver--"How's Johnny
to-night?"

The woman shouted something in reply, but I don't think the old fellow
heard her.

"Ay, ay," he called out, "Johnny will be a famous young shaver one of
these days;" and with that, he whipped up his horse, and away we went.

The drive up the avenue, for such at the time I judged it to be, and
such it proved to be, did not occupy many minutes. The fly came to a
stand, and the driver got down and opened the door. "Now, young lady,
here you are," he said; and I found myself in front of the main entrance
to Deepley Walls.

It was too dark by this time for me to discern more than the merest