As I cast my eyes around me, standing with my back to the hearth (on
which, for mere companionship's sake, I had just heaped fresh wood), a
thrill ran suddenly throughout my frame. I felt as if, did it last a
moment longer, I should become aware of another presence in the room;
but, happily for me, it ceased before it had reached that point; and I,
recovering my courage, remained ignorant of the cause of my fear, if
there were any, other than the nature of the room itself. With a candle
in my hand, I proceeded to open the various cupboards and closets. At
first I found nothing remarkable about any of them. The latter were
quite empty, except the last I came to, which had a piece of very old
elaborate tapestry hanging at the back of it. Lifting this up, I saw
what seemed at first to be panels, corresponding to those which formed
the room; but on looking more closely, I discovered that this back of
the closet was, or had been, a door. There was nothing unusual in this,
especially in such an old house; but the discovery roused in me a strong
desire to know what lay behind the old door. I found that it was secured
only by an ordinary bolt, from which the handle had been removed.
Soothing my conscience with the reflection that I had a right to know
what sort of place had communication with my room, I succeeded, by the
help of my deer-knife, in forcing back the rusty bolt; and though, from
the stiffness of the hinges, I dreaded a crack, they yielded at last
with only a creak.

The opening door revealed a large hall, empty utterly, save of dust and
cobwebs, which festooned it in all quarters, and gave it an appearance
of unutterable desolation. The now familiar feeling, that I had seen the
place before, filled my mind the first moment, and passed away the next.
A broad, right-angled staircase, with massive banisters, rose from the
middle of the hall. This staircase could not have originally belonged to