Page:Randall Parrish--My Lady of the South.djvu/240

MY LADY OF THE SOUTH a lantern, and a metallic box of matches. I handed O'Brien the lamp, bidding him place it on the chair, and then, carefully avoiding all contact with the andiron which apparently operated the machine, stepped inside the opening, upon the narrow stone rim encircling the shaft. My extended hand touched the roof, seemingly proving that the form of a chimney above was a mere sham, intended to bear out the deception of the fireplace; yet several iron bars, conveniently located for steps, were bolted to the side wall, making me suspicious that the space above might be utilized m a small room. I shook the lantern, found it half filled with oil, and applied a match to the wick. The yellow flame gave a good view of the narrow quarters, but, although I held it above my head, scanning the closely matched boards of the ceiling, I could discover no signs of a trap door. There was sufficient dust collected on the iron bars to convince me no one had lately climbed them, and I determined to explore below.

"You see what this is, O'Brien, a secret passage," I said, glancing back at him. "That is human enough; the Devil don't need such things to help him get about. Whomsoever we saw peering out of here came up these steps, and, whether it was woman or man, we can travel the same route. I'm going down, and I want you to follow me, but don't touch that andiron as you come in."

He moved briskly enough, evidently convinced at last that merely flesh and blood fronted us, and ashamed of his first terror. His was naturally the reckless courage [ 226 ]