"Why not give our friend escort through the tunnel?"

asked Larry. "I'll not hesitate to say that I'm dying

to see it."

"To be sure!" We went down into the cellar, and

poked over the lantern and candlestick collections, and

I pointed out the exact spot where Morgan and I had

indulged in our revolver duel. It was fortunate that

the plastered walls of the cellar showed clearly the cuts

and scars of the pistol-balls or I fear my story would

have fallen on incredulous ears.

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The debris I had piled upon the false block of stone

in the cellar lay as I had left it, but the three of us

quickly freed the trap. The humor of the thing took

strong hold of my new allies, and while I was getting a

lantern to light us through the passage Larry sat on the

edge of the trap and howled a few bars of a wild Irish

jig. We set forth at once and found the passage unchanged.

When the cold air blew in upon us I paused.

"Have you gentlemen the slightest idea of where

you are?"

"We must be under the school-grounds, I should say,"

replied Stoddard.

"We're exactly under the stone wall. Those tall posts

at the gate are a scheme for keeping fresh air in the

passage."

"You certainly have all the modern improvements,"

observed Larry, and I heard him chuckling all the way

to the crypt door.

When I pushed the panel open and we stepped out

into the crypt Stoddard whistled and Larry swore

softly.

"It must be for something!" exclaimed the chaplain.

"You don't suppose Mr. Glenarm built a secret passage

just for the fun of it, do you? He must have had some

purpose. Why, I sleep out here within forty yards of

where we stand and I never had the slightest idea of

this."

"But other people seem to know of it," observed

Larry.

"To be sure; the curiosity of the whole countryside

was undoubtedly piqued by the building of Glenarm

House. The fact that workmen were brought from a

distance was in itself enough to arouse interest. Morgan

seems to have discovered the passage without any

trouble."

"More likely it was Ferguson. He was the sexton of

the church and had a chance to investigate," said Stoddard.

"And now, gentlemen, I must go to my service.

I'll see you again before the day is over."

"And we make no confidences!" I admonished.

"'Sdeath!-I believe that is the proper expression under

all the circumstances." And the Reverend Paul

Stoddard laughed, clasped my hand and went up into

the chapel vestry.

I closed the door in the wainscoting and hung the

map back in place.

We went up into the little chapel and found a small

company of worshipers assembled,-a few people from

the surrounding farms, half a dozen Sisters sitting somberly

near the chancel and the school servants.




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