snoring as if they thoroughly enjoyed it. There
was Lord Nelson on one wall, in flaming water-
colours; and there, on the other, was a portrait of
Admiral Bartram's last flag-ship, in full sail on
a sea of slate, with a salmon-coloured sky to
complete the illusion.

"What, they won't show you over the house—
won't they?" said old Mazey. " I will, then!
That head-housemaid's a sour one, my dear—if
ever there was a sour one yet. You're too young
and good-looking to please 'em—that's what you
are." He rose, took off his spectacles, and feebly
mended the fire. " She's as straight as a poplar,"
said old Mazey, considering Magdalen's figure in
drowsy soliloquy.' " I say she's as straight as a
poplar; and his honour the admiral says so too!
Come along, my dear," he proceeded, addressing
himself to Magdalen again. " I'll teach you your
Pints of the Compass first. When you know your
Pints, blow high, blow low, you'll find it plain
sailing all over the house."

He led the way to the door—stopped, and
suddenly bethinking himself of his miniature
ship went back to put his model away in an
empty cupboard—led the way to the door again
—stopped once more—remembered that some of
the rooms were chilly—and pottered about,
swearing and grumbling, and looking for his
hat. Magdalen sat down patiently to wait for
him. She gratefully contrasted his treatment of
her with the treatment she had received from
the women. Resist it as firmly, despise it as
proudly as we may, all studied unkindness—no
matter how contemptible it may be—has a
stinging power in it which reaches to the quick.
Magdalen only knew how she had felt the small
malice of the female servants, by the effect which
the rough kindness of the old sailor produced
on her afterwards. The dumb welcome of the
dogs, when the movements in the room had
roused them from their sleep, touched her
more acutely still. Brutus pushed his mighty
muzzle companionably into her hand; and
Cassius laid his friendly fore-paw on her lap.
Her heart yearned over the two creatures as she
patted and caressed them. It seemed only
yesterday since she and the dogs at Combe-
Raven, had roamed the garden together, and had
idled away the summer mornings luxuriously
on the shady lawn.

Old Mazey found his hat at last; and they
started on their exploring expedition, with the
dogs after them.

Leaving the basement story of the house,
which was entirely devoted to the servants'
offices, they ascended to the first floor, and
entered the long corridor, with which Magdalen's
last night's experience had already made her
acquainted. "Put your back agin this wall,"
said old Mazey, pointing to the long wall—pierced
at irregular intervals with windows looking out
over a court-yard and fish-pond—which formed
the right-hand side of the corridor, as Magdalen
now stood. "Put your back here," said the
veteran; " and look straight afore you. What
do you see?" "The opposite wall of the passage,"
said Magdalen.—"Ay? ay? what else?"
—" The doors leading into the rooms."—" What
else?"—" I see nothing else." Old Mazey
chuckled, winked, and shook his knotty fore-
finger at Magdalen impressively. " You see one
of the Pints of the Compass, my dear. When
you've got your back agin this wall, and when
you look straight afore you—you look Noathe.
If you ever get lost hereaway, put your back
agin the wall, look out straight afore you, and
say to yourself, ' I look Noathe!' You do that
like a good girl, and you won't lose your
bearings."

After administering this preliminary dose of
instruction, old Mazey opened the first of the
doors on the left-hand side of the passage. It
led into the dining-room, with which Magdalen
was already familiar. The second room was
fitted up as a library; and the third, as a morning-
room. The fourth and fifth doors—both
belonging to dismantled and uninhabited rooms,
and both locked—brought them to the end of the
North wing of the house, and to the opening of
a second and shorter passage, placed at a right
angle to the first. Here old Mazey, who had
divided his time pretty equally, during the
investigation of the rooms, in talking of "his
honour the admiral," and whistling to the dogs
—returned with all possible expedition to the
points of the compass; and gravely directed
Magdalen to repeat the ceremony of putting her
back against the wall. She attempted to shorten
the proceedings, by declaring (quite correctly)
that in her present position she knew she
was looking East; "Don't you talk about
the East, my dear," said old Mazey, proceeding
unmoved with his own system of instruction,
"till you know the East first. Put your back
agin this wall, and look straight afore you. What
do you see?" The remainder of the catechism
proceeded as before. When the end was reached,
Magdalen's instructor was satisfied. He chuckled
and winked at her once more. "Now you may
talk about the East, my dear," said the veteran,
"for now you know it."

The East passage, after leading them on for a
few yards only, terminated in a vestibule, with a
high door in it which faced them as they
advanced. The door admitted them to a large and
lofty drawing-room, decorated, like all the other
apartments, with valuable old-fashioned furniture.
Leading the way across this room, Magdalen's
conductor pushed back a heavy sliding door,
opposite the door of entrance. "Put your apron
over your head," said old Mazey. "We are
coming to the Banketing-Hall, now. The
floor's mortal cold, and the damp sticks to the
place like cockroaches to a collier. His
honour the admiral calls it the Arctic Passage.
I've got my name for it, too. I call it, Freeze-
your-Bones."

Magdalen passed through the doorway, and
found herself in the ancient Banqueting-Hall of
St. Crux.