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He paused at the door and looked in

All was entirely as usual In spite of the unpleasant expectancy roused, in spite of hiodliness, by the words of his wife and her awful head-nodding, the roo scent of horror The little bed stood there, white and innocent in the candlelight, the drawer still gaped, showing its pathetic contents; the furniture, pictures, texts, and all the rest remained in their places, harmless and undefiled as when Amy herself had set the; then, stepping forward, he took the candle, closed the drawer, not without difficulty, glanced round oncethe door behind him

"A pack of nonsense!" he said, as he tossed the key on to the table before his wife

The theological discussion waxed late that night, and by ten o'clock Mrs Nugent, under the influence of an excellent supper and a touch of stiun to condemn her own terrors, or rather to cease to protest when her husband condemned them for her A nu little incident, to none of which did she give an unqualified denial It was the stooping that had done it; there had been a rush of blood to the head that had e

It was the watercress eaten in such abundance on the previous afternoon It was the fact that she had passed an unoccupiedof the shop It was one of those things, or all of them, or some other like one of them Even the little maid was reassured, when she cas, by the cheerful conversation of the couple, though she registered a private vow that for no consideration under heaven would she enter the bedrooht at the top of the stairs

About half-past ten Mrs Nugent said that she would step up to bed; and in that direction she went, accoram it was presently to step round to the "Wheatsheaf" for an hour with the landlord after the bar was shut up

At the door on the right hand he hesitated, but his wife passed on sternly; and as she passed into their own bedroom a piece of news came to his mind

"That was Mr Laurie you heard, Mary," said he "Jio past just after dark Well, I'll take the house-key with me"