The Young Castellan Part 34

"But they couldn't have made a pa.s.sage through the moat."

"Of course not, sir; it must have gone under it."

"Then it couldn't have started from here."

"Why not, sir?" said Ben, with a low laugh; "what's to prevent there being another dungeon like this on the other side of the wall there, one with a trap-door in it leading down ever so many steps into another place, and the pa.s.sage begin ten or twenty foot deeper."

"Something like the powder-magazine is made?"

"That's it, sir. We're in the lower part of a big round tower, and we know there's those floors above us one on top of the other, and we don't know that the old Roylands who built this place mayn't have dug down and down before they started it, and made one, two, or three floors below where we stand."

"What? Dug right down? Impossible!"

"They dug down that time as deep into the old stone to make the big well, sir."

"Of course; then it is possible."

"Possible, sir? Oh yes; look at the secret pa.s.sages there are in some old walls, made just in the thickness, and doors leading into 'em just where you wouldn't expect 'em to be. Up a chimney, perhaps, or a side of a window. I heered tell of one as was quite a narrow door, just big enough for a man to pa.s.s through, and you didn't walk into it, because it wasn't upright; but you got into it by crawling through a square hole with a thin stone door which fell back after you were through. Then you stood up, and could go half round the old house it was in."

"Well," said Roy, "if there is such a pa.s.sage, we must find it; but if it has been built up, we might have to pull half the place down."

"Yes, sir; but first of all, we'll have a good look in these cellars, for it mayn't have been built up, and we may find it easily enough.

Begin then, and let's try."

Ben trimmed the candle with his forefinger and thumb, making the flame brighter, and then holding the light close to the flat face of the wall, they examined stone after stone; but as far as they could make out, they had not been tampered with since the day the masons concluded their task.

Then the curved walls right and left were examined quickly, as they were little likely to contain a concealed opening; lastly, the flags on the floor, and, finally, Ben drew his sword and softly tapped each in turn.

But not one gave forth a hollow sound. Everything was solid, even the walls at the back.

"Let's try the other open one, sir," said Ben, and they continued their investigations in this place, which was precisely similar to the first, and yielded the same results.

Then the keys of the great bunch Ben carried were tried on one fast-closed door of oak, studded with square nails much corroded by rust, but it was not until the last key had been thrust in that with a harsh creaking the bolt of the ponderous lock shot back; and then it required the united efforts of both to get the door to turn upon the rusty hinges.

Here they were met by precisely the same appearances, and the search was made, and ended by sounding with the sword pommel.

"No, sir; there's nothing here."

"I'm afraid not," said Roy; "everything sounds solid."

"Ay, sir, and solid it is."

"But if you tap so hard, Master Pawson will hear you," whispered Roy, as the old soldier tried the floor again.

"Maybe not, sir; but if he do, he do. Let's hope now he's fast asleep; you see, he's three floors higher up."

"But knocking sounds travel a long distance, Ben, and I'd rather he did not know."

"Me too, sir. Well, this is only three. Let's try the others."

"I hope you are not going to have so much work with the finding of the key," said Roy; "it hinders us so."

"Plenty of time before morning, sir," replied Ben, coolly; and after relocking the heavy low door, he tried the key he had just withdrawn upon the next door, and, to the surprise of both, it yielded easily, and was thrown open.

Again the same clean, swept-out place, with plenty of grey cobwebs; but that was all.

Upon sounding the stones, however, at the back, they fancied that they detected a suggestion of hollowness, still not enough to make Roy determine to have the wall torn down.

This place was locked and the next tried, the only satisfactory part of the business being that the key before used evidently opened all the locks in the bas.e.m.e.nt of this tower; and so it proved, as one after the other the dungeons or cellars were tried with the same unsatisfactory results, for none of the eight afforded the slightest trace of the clew they sought.

At last, pretty well tired out and covered with cobwebs, they stood in the crypt while Ben lit a fresh candle, the first having burned down into the socket, with the wick swimming in molten fat, and Roy said, with a yawn--

"I wonder whether there is a pa.s.sage after all, or whether it is some old woman's tale."

"Nay, sir, there is," said the old soldier, solemnly. "Your father said there was, and he must have known."

"Well, then, where is the door?" said Roy, peevishly.

"Ah! that's what we've got to find out, sir. You're tired now, and no wonder. So let's try another night. You're not going to give a thing up because you didn't do it the first time."

"I hope not," said Roy, with another yawn; "but I am a bit tired now. I say, Ben, though, think it's in one of the places we've filled up with stores?"

"I hope not, sir; that would be making too hard a job of it."

"Stop a moment," cried Roy, brightening up; "I have it."

"You know where it is, sir?" cried Ben, eagerly.

"Not this end," said Roy, laughing, "but the other."

"What, in the old ruins? Of course."

"Well, why not go and find that, and then trace it down to here. It would be the easiest way."

"There is something in that, sir, certainly," said the old soldier, thoughtfully; "ever been there, sir?"

"Once, blackberrying; but of course I never saw anything; only a rabbit or two."

"Then if we can't find it here after a good try or two, sir, we'll have a walk over there some evening, though I don't feel to like the idea of leaving the place, specially as all the gentry seem so unfriendly. Not a soul, you see, has been to see her ladys.h.i.+p. Looks bad, Master Roy, and as if there was more going on than we know of round about us."

"Ah, well, never mind that," said Roy; "let's get back out of this chilly, echoing place. I'm f.a.gged."

"We'll go back this way, sir," said Ben; and he went on first with the lantern, till he came to one of the flights of stone steps leading up to the ground level.

"Let's go on here, Ben," said Roy; and, upon their reaching the corridor above, the boy looked back along it towards where the stairs went up into the corner tower, beneath which they had been so busy.

"Wonder whether Master Pawson heard us, Ben."