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 Baron agreed with the opinion of his daughter; and I could not persist in my wish, without the risk of displeasing him.

Shortly after this conversation, I began to rally Adelaide upon the subject, asking her whether she had never met with anything extraordinary herself, in the haunted chamber. She answered my question in the negative, assuring me that she had, from her childhood, always avoided that part of the castle, and never, in her life, had ventured to enter that room. “I do not,” she added, “even know the way which leads to it.”

“With this apprehension,” said I, “you ought to inquire the way, in order to prevent the possibility of finding yourself, by chance, in this dreadful apartment.”

“Oh!” answered she, “there is no fear of such an accident. When certain rash young gentlemen do not interfere, and change the order of things, all the doors which lead to that room are locked.”

“Perhaps, however,” said I, “there are various passages which lead to it. You may probably imagine yourself to be in a distant part of the castle, but, seeing a bolt in the wall, you touch it, a secret door opens, and you suddenly find yourself in the mysterious chamber.”

“For God’s sake do not alarm me,” said Adelaide, seriously; then added, with more composure, “but such an occurrence is impossible. The rooms which I occupy are too well known to me; and can lead to no secret chamber.”

Bentheim confirmed this assertion.

“That part of the building,” added he, “is completely separated from that which we inhabit. And even the passage which formerly led directly from the castle to the church has long been impassable; probably on account of the neglect arising in this very fear.”

I had too certain proofs of a connection between that very room, and the inhabited part of the castle, to be convinced of 4em