Not so was it with Haddon Hall! The most prosaic summer tourist could hardly fail to be moved by admiration of its delights. It is still a real home, and seems alive with memories of the fair Dorothy Vernon and her family. The old castle has scarcely changed at all since the sixteenth century, and one feels as though the great lords and ladies of Queen Elizabeth's time had thoughtfully stepped out on the terrace, in order that we might wander through their noble old dwelling. The custodian was having her afternoon-tea when the party arrived; she did not think of hurrying in the slightest, but leisurely finished this most important meal, and then received the visitors' fees and allowed them to enter. "I feel as though I had walked into a story!" remarked Betty quietly. "Is Dorothy at home?" The various buildings of Haddon Hall are built around two square courts. The oldest bit is the ancient chapel, in part dating from Norman times, and in which the Vernon family worshiped for four hundred years. It still contains some old wooden pews, and traces of grotesque paintings may be seen upon its walls. "Where are we going now?" whispered Barbara, keeping close to Betty, as the guide led them down a very dark passage, with an uneven stone floor. "Oh, it's the kitchen!" A light had now been struck, and the huge fireplaces of this kitchen of bygone days could be seen. Everything seemed complete, even to the woodbox which once held the tremendous logs. "How in the world could they see to cook in such a dark place?" inquired the practical John. "Oh, there were probably great torches fastened to the walls, and then there are some tiny windows. When your eyes grow accustomed to the dim light, you can see fairly well. I should think, though, that once in a while, the cook might have put a little too much salt in the pasty," Mrs. Pitt replied laughingly. An exceedingly curious feature of Haddon's Banqueting-hall is an iron bracket with a ring, which is between the entrance doors. Naturally, Mrs. Pitt was called upon to explain this. [Illustration: "IT STILL SEEMS ALIVE WITH MEMORIES OF THE FAIR DOROTHY VERNON."--_Page 217._]