providing she carry out strictly the instructions contained in her
husband's will. It is possible that in a court of law the will might
have been set aside on the ground of insanity, or the whole matter might
have been thrown into Chancery. But Lady Chillington did not choose to
submit to such an ordeal. All the courts of law in the kingdom could
have given her no more than she possessed already--they could merely
have given her permission to bury her husband's body, and it did not
seem to her that such a permission could compensate for turning into
public gossip a private chapter of family history. So here Sir John
Chillington has remained since his death, and here he will stay till the
last of the twenty years has become a thing of the past. Two or three
times every year Mr. Winter, Sir Mark's lawyer, comes over to Deepley
Walls to satisfy himself by ocular proof that Sir John's instructions
are being duly carried out. This he has a legal right to do in the
interests of his client. Sometimes he is conducted to this room by Lady
Chillington, sometimes by me; but even in his case her ladyship will not
relax her rule of not having the room visited by day."

Sister Agnes then showed Janet that behind the black draperies there was
a cupboard in the wall, which on being opened proved to contain a
quantity of large candles. One by one Sister Agnes took out of the
silver tripods what remained of the candles of the previous day, and
filled up their places with fresh ones. Janet looked on attentively.
Then, for the second time, Sister Agnes knelt on the _prie-dieu_ for a
few moments, and then she and Janet left the room.

Next day Sister Agnes was so ill, and Janet pressed so earnestly to be
allowed to attend to the Black Room in place of her, and alone, that she
was obliged to give a reluctant consent.