“You are right,” interrupted the old man; then going to the door he opened it wide and commanded, “now go!” We silently bowed, and were about to pass out when he laid his hand on my arm and said: “You will remain!” There was an earnest look in his eyes, and I hesitated a moment; but an imperious gesture sent Albert without; the door closed, and I was alone with the hermit, half-madman, for such he seemed to be. “What are you?” he demanded, turning to me. “An Irishman.” “When do you leave the country?” “Next week.” “Would you do a service for a man whose days on earth are numbered?” asked the old man in a tone almost of entreaty. “Surely, if I can,” I answered; “in what way could I serve you?” “In a thousand ways,” he almost shouted, jumping to his feet, his tall form erect, and his eyes gleaming. “Listen,” continued he, “for thirty years I have not known a moment’s peace. Though this place is haunted, I cannot, dare not leave—I had so much to do. I had so much to do,” he moaned, passing his bony hand over his forehead, and after a few moments’ pause, he continued: “It was thirty odd years ago the curse fell upon me. I was a schoolmaster at Pau, in southern France, and I was a passionate antiquarian. One day I read a paper before the Société d’Ethnographie of Nancy, of which I was then a member, on an ancient document I had unearthed, concerning the warrior sorcerer Maugis. This manuscript I had discovered in the ruins of an old castle. It was a short document, but to decipher its cryptogramic characters cost me infinite labor. It merely told the hiding place, in the north of France, of sundry writings concerning the history of Maugis and the four sons of the Duc d’Aymon, historic characters of the reign of Charlemagne. What think you was my reception from them? They laughed me to scorn, those savants. They said Maugis was apochryphal, was a myth. Then in the intensity of my mortification and rage I defied them to their teeth and told them I would find the papers; but France never should see them, I would burn them first. “They only laughed the more, and when I cursed them they expelled me in disgrace. That did not end my persecution,” explained the old man excitedly. “Very soon afterward they took from me my position. I was said to be insane, and I left the south broken-hearted and came here; that was many years ago. Aided by the directions given me in the ancient writing, I found a vast number of documents of the greatest historical value. Their hiding place was right here in this ancient home of Maugis. I found them stored in a recess back of yonder iron plate of the fireplace. Since then I have read what I could and I have deciphered what I could, for many were written in mysterious and magical characters, and burned them.” “You burned them?” “Yes, I burned them, every one.” “Man, you are surely mad!”