"To look at me with," answered Henley, hoping to induce a smile, or a
more cheery tone amid a gloom which was growing oppressive. But Miss
Guir simply led the way to the great hall door, which was built of
heavy timber, and studded with nail-heads without. As the cumbersome
old portal swung open, Paul could not help observing that it was at
least two inches thick, braced diagonally, and that the locks and
hinges were unusually crude and massive. He followed Miss Guir into
the hall, with a slight foreboding of evil which the memory of the
stage driver's remark did not help to dispel.




2


There are few men who would not have felt uncomfortable in the
peculiar situation in which Mr. Henley now found himself, although,
perhaps, he was as little affected as any one would have been under
the circumstances. It was impossible now to retreat from the part
assumed, and he resolved to carry it out to the best of his ability,
never doubting for an instant that the deception would be discovered
sooner or later.

Following Miss Guir across the threshold of her mysterious home,
Henley entered a hall which was by far the most extraordinary he had
ever beheld, and he paused for a moment to take in the scene. The
room was nearly square, with a singular staircase ascending from the
left. Upon the side opposite the door was a huge chimney, where a