The House of a Thousand Candles

side with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room

s nothing

And he went off sedate

ther, and while thus engaged came upon a series of large volumes extra-illustrated in water-colors of unusual beauty. They occupied a lower shelf, and I sprawled on

otten book-mark, I assumed, and half-crumpled it in my fingers before I noticed the l

ated, but of this I could make nothing. I studied it for several minutes, thinking it might have been a tentative sketch of some part of the house. In turning it about under the candelabrum I saw that in several places the glaze had been

gh to points of the compass and a distance. The word ravine was scrawled ove

OF BEWI

nd I failed to hit it off. From boyhood I have never seen a great bridge or watched a locomotive climb a difficult hillside without a thrill; and a lighthouse still seems to me quite the finest monument a man can build for himself. My grandfather's d

enarm House as it had appeared to me, and then I tried

e House of a Thousand Candles" was quite capable of other whims; and as I bent over this scrap of paper in the candle-lighted library it occurred to me that possibly I had

. One o'clock in the morning is not the most cheering hour for exploring the dark recesses of a strange house, but I had resolv

from it. These figures I entered in my note-book for further use, and sat down on an empty nail-keg to reflect. The place was certainly substantial; the candle at my feet burned steadily with no hint of a draft; but I sa

e thin flame had risen unwaveringly, sputtered

house were always locked and barred. But some one had gained

urning, I saw, coming toward me, a man carrying a lantern. I marked his careless step; he was undoubtedly on familiar g

watched the lantern slowly coming toward me. The small revolver with which I had fired at his flying figure in the wood was in my pocket. It was just as well to have it out with the fellow now. My chances were as good as his, though I

rom me and he dropped the lantern and hammer to

ed his face in the lantern's light with interest. His hat was thr

at the top. In settling himself for the new series of strokes he swayed toward me slightly, and I could hear his hard breathing. I was d

orward and snatching the lante

ern held high in my left, I enjoyed his utter c

" I said. "I'd begun to miss you; but I suppose you've been sle

lessly about. He undoubtedly knew the house better than I did, and was considering the best means of escape. I did not know what to do with him now that

ing quite so near," he sa

said. "It may help you to answer som

uld think it would be beneath the dignity of a great

y," I said. "I want you to t

lau

r solemn jack-of-all-trades locked up, and I walked down to the end of the passage there"-he indicated the dir

the sheer assuran

n that you needn't try again

dare say, a pretty pair,-he tramping doggedly before me, I following at his heels with his lantern and my pistol. The situation had pl

," I admonis

" he replie

ertain admiration for his scoundrelly talents- a fellow, I

ver against his back from time to time to keep him assured

self backward upon me, threw his arms over his head and seized me abou

er hot in my own nostrils. The lantern fell from my ha

o the revolver, waiting for a chance to use it, and meanwhile he tried to t

feet, fired again and leaped to the opposite side of the corridor and crouched there. We had adopted the same tactics, firing and dodging to avoid the target made by the flash of our pistols, and watching and listening after the roar of the explosions. It was a very

truce. The pungent smoke of the powd

d a bullet, Mr. Gl

he reached the area window and escape before I could reach him. I crept warily after him, ready to fire on the in

ike some boards that I remembered lay on the floor there, and I wa

old air swept the passage, and I knew he must be drawing himself up to the opening. I fired and dropped t

me, perhaps, to fire at close range, or to grapple with me in the dark. The cold air still whistled into the corridor, an

d toward the end

ed, but shook myself together in a moment and got upon my feet. The draft of air no longer blew into the passage. Morgan had taken

utter astonishment it was fastened with staples, driven deep into the sash, in such way that it could not possibly have been opened without the aid

e out through the house, or by some other cellar window. My eyes were smarting from the smoke of the last shot, and my cheek stung where the burnt powder had struck

to the library. The lights in half the candlesticks had sput

nerves were already keyed to a breaking pitch, and the ghost-like tread in the hall angered me-Morgan, or his ally, Bates, I reflected, at some new trick. I ran into my room, found a heavy walking-stick and

I must say, the slightest idea of finding him there. But Bates, the enigma, Bates, the incomparable cook, the perfect servant, sat at a table

d at attention, incli

Mr. Gl

ere. The stick fell from my hands. I did not doubt he knew perfectly well that I had some purpo

e house. I don't want you prowlin

ir," he replied i

a volume of Shakespeare's comedies, open at the

should say," he remarked. "It was

, and went down to my room and sla