she arose and wandered down the path in search of a few choice blossoms,
leaving Paul alone, who watched her until she disappeared among the
shrubbery.

Sitting quietly smoking his cigarette, Mr. Henley became absorbed in
a critical study of the quaint old pile which had so suddenly risen
to abnormal interest in his eyes. A part of the structure was falling
rapidly to decay, while other portions were so deeply embedded in ivy
and other creeping things that it was impossible to discover their
actual state of preservation. The windows were small and far apart,
and Paul recognized his own by its bearing upon a certain tree which
he had noticed while looking out upon the previous night. Following
down the line of the wall, he was surprised to find a large space
which was not pierced by either door or window, and naturally began
to wonder what manner of apartment lay upon the opposite side, where
neither light nor air were admitted. The wall, to be sure, was
covered with Virginia creeper, which had made its way to the roof,
but it was evident that it concealed no opening. Then his thoughts
wandered back to the mysterious well, and he began to wonder if the
closed door at the bottom connected with the unaccounted-for space
behind this wall. His curiosity grew as he brooded upon this
possibility--a possibility which he now conceded to be a certainty as
he marked the configuration of the building. The blank wall was
beneath his bedroom. The well descended directly into it, or upon one
side of it, and communicated with it through the door mentioned.
There was nothing to be learned by inquiry, and Henley determined to
make another effort to force open the door. His resolution was not
entirely the result of curiosity, for he had taken such a sudden and
strong liking for the girl that he disliked the thought of leaving
her; and yet the riddle of her environment was such that he conceived