"' Have you anything more to ask?' said my visitor. "'Nothing more at present,' I replied. 'I am ready now to hear your story.' "'I will make it as short as possible and not detain you long. You have noticed my portrait in the gallery?' "'Yes.' "'And that of the lady opposite, my cousin, Lucretia Carbury?' "'Certainly.' (Here the red door was violently shaken). "'She cannot open it,' said Captain Carbury, 'it is sealed.' "'When I went out to Georgia,' he resumed, 'in 1738, I was engaged to be married to her; we had been betrothed by our parents in our childhood, and family reasons made it almost a necessity that we should be united, but as we grew up neither of us was very anxious to fulfil the engagement, and, to tell the truth, I was glad of the summons to join my regiment. However, after three years in that distant colony, I came home, having made up my mind I would marry Lucretia and settle down on the family property--which could only be enjoyed by that means--for we were the only representatives of the family, and the property was so left by our fathers that only by marrying could we enter into possession. _Either by marrying or by the death of one of us; when the whole of the property would go to the other._ I knew that Lucretia was at the old house at Grantwich, and I came straight to her. "'I had written to say when she might expect me, and she received me with apparent kindness and agreed to all my propositions about our marriage. I arrived late at night, and she let me into the house herself and got food for me. We supped together, and she pledged me in a cup, which I now know was drugged to make me sleep heavily. "'I then retired to my room--this room, this bed, on which you now lie! "'What I am now going to tell you has been made clear to me since; at the time I was conscious of nothing. As soon as I got into bed, I fell asleep, and whilst I thus slept Lucretia came through that door (pointing to the red door opposite), and stabbed me to the heart. I will show you the instrument with which she did it, if you like.' "'Pray do,' I said, and he unbuttoned his scarlet uniform coat and drew from his left side a slender dagger or stiletto. "I looked at it with great interest and asked if I might take it in my hand. "'Certainly, if you wish it,' he said, 'but I do not advise you to touch it. It is rusty now from the salt, but I assure you it was bright and keen when she drove it into my heart. The stroke was so cleverly aimed that I died instantly. Lucretia then made a signal, which was answered by the entrance of a man, and between them they carried my body through the door by which I entered to-night.' "He paused, and I thought he looked more ghastly. 'Is anything the matter?' I asked. "'I am thinking,' he answered, 'that I can show you the rest, if you will follow me, but I must tell you that when we leave this room and enter the gallery, it is possible the murderess will follow us. Shall you be afraid?'