the ways of access were closed and guarded
to the upper parts of the castle, they
let themselves out of an arrow-hole, or
window, by a rope into a dry part of the
moat, and were lost to the inhabitants of
the castle for many hours. When they, at
last, applied for re-admission across the
drawbridge, they were one mass of dry,
light-coloured dirt from head to foot, and they had
great difficulty in making themselves known
to the old warder. Their story was that a
treacherous part of the rnoat had given way,
and plunged them up to their necks in the
ancient mud. They had run about the common
and the forest until they felt dry and
comfortable, and thought they looked decent,
when they had presented themselves, a little
before dusk, under the notion that they might
enter unobserved. Alexander had spoiled a
new suit of clothes, and little Waddles had
utterly destroyed his livery.

Scarcely had we recovered from this fright
when we heard piercing shrieks issuing from
the north turret, where Mrs. and Miss
Gushington had taken up their quarters.
If it had not been for the courage of
Mr. Coggleshall, I believe that no one
would have ventured to investigate the
cause of these sounds of terror; for Mr.
Crowcomb distinctly stated that he was
neither a hero, nor a crusader, and the
servants were already beginning to believe in
strange stories of white and red ladies who
walked by night with great wounds in their
breasts up and down the corridors. Mr.
Coggleshall, with most praiseworthy
promptitude, seized a thick stick, and went
direct to the room where Mariana (Miss
Gushington) was preparing herself for
dinner. He found that young lady with
dishevelled hair, crouching in a corner
of the room, and staring wildly at two large
bats, who were staring at her from two
opposite corners. Mr. Coggleshall led the
romantic young lady out of the room; and,
after a short struggle, he put the two animals
to flight. It turned out afterwards, that Mariana
had opened the turret window to gaze at the
rising autumnal moon, when the two brutes
flew suddenly in, and nearly knocked her down
in their entry.

Two other visitors arrived before we sat
down to dinner—the Misses Tutbury, maiden
sisters, living on their property; and, at last,
after many difficulties in the series of vaults
which did duty for the kitchen, the great
meal of the day was served at exactly
half-past eight p.m. railway time. The repast
was plain, but ample,—baronial, in fact, and
satisfactory enough, in its way; but the
footman and coachman thought proper to
wait at table wrapped up as if prepared for
a long journey outside a coach. The dress
first caught my eye, but I said nothing; and
then it caught my husband's eye, who said
a great deal.

"John Thomas and James William," Mr.

Coggleshall shouted across the table, "what
is the meaning of this?"

There was a little hesitation. Then the
footman, although the junior, put himself
forward to speak.

"I knows what it is, sir, to which you
eludes, but roomatiz is a thing that will come
to us all, sir, sooner or later, an' its wrong,
it is, to fly in the face of Providence."

This speech produced a sympathetic grunt
from Mr. Crowcomb; but it only enraged
Mr. Coggleshall still further.

"Take off that comforter, John Thomas,"
he said, "directly; and that ridiculous
overcoat; and you, James William, either
make yourself a Christian waiter, or leave
the work to John Thomas. You're not
driving the Carlisle Highflyer against a north
wind!"

"Werry well, sir," replied the coachman,
"if you wish it; but goin' hout o' this warm
room—which warm it is compared with those
passidges"——

An impatient gesture from Mr. Coggleshall
stopped any further conversation, and the
dinner was finished in silence.

During the afternoon the wind had shifted
round to the north, and our position was no
protection against the keenness of the blast.
Our screen from the south, composed of the
bleak hills before mentioned, was perfect;
but from the east and the north we had
scarcely the shelter of a blade of grass.
Leaving the banquetting-hall, as it is called,
to go across the dark passage to that other
tunnel fitted up as a drawing-room, we all
felt that the two men-servants were not so
very much to blame.

We retired to rest early that night,
only to awake to fresh troubles the next
morning. Everybody had, of course, heard
strange and unearthly noises during the
night (the howling of the wind along the
tunnels and passages), and almost everyone
was full of complaints when we met at
breakfast. The two Misses Tutbury had
been horrified by discovering a large owl
standing calmly before their toilet-glass on
their dressing-table. Unlike Miss Gushington
with the bat, they were strong minded
enough to drive it away with an open
umbrella. Both Mrs. Gushington and her
daughter were a little pinched up with
cold, and a trifle—just a trifle—less
enthusiastic. Mr. and Mrs. Crowcomb were,
of course, sulky, especially Mr. Crowcomb;
who had shouted for one hour in vain for
shaving-water in his lofty chamber in the
battlements, there being no bells or
communications between any two parts of
the building. We had to apologise for many
small short-comings at the breakfast table. Our
letters, which came to us very late, contained
apologies for being unable to accept our kind
invitation from many gentlemen whom we
had calculated upon as beaux for the ladies.
This is always the case in all parties, whether