"Wait a moment, mademoiselle, while I throw some holy water before it." "But there's no key; how can we open it?" "Well, we must try. I have several keys that I have picked up while cleaning the house, perhaps one of those will open it." Marguerite advanced tremblingly towards the end of the alcove. She drew from her pocket half a dozen rusty keys of different sizes, and was about to try one of them, but her hand shook and she could not find the keyhole. Blanche seized one key and tried it unsuccessfully, then a second; but at the third the young girl uttered a cry of joy, for the key turned, and Marguerite crossed herself, murmuring,-- "O my God, the door is opening!" In fact, the door yielded to Blanche's effort and opened, creaking and groaning on its hinges, and the two women beheld a square closet; but, as it received no light except from the little door that opened into it, and as that door led into a dark alcove, one may conceive that there was little daylight there. Blanche remained on the doorsill and Marguerite recoiled a few steps, saying,-- "See now, my child; I was right in thinking that that door led somewhere. Oh, this is as dark as a cave." "Let us go in here, nurse." "But not without a light, I hope. Wait; I will go and light my lamp. I don't know that it is prudent of us to enter this closet." "But, Marguerite, you see very well that there is nobody here." "I can see nothing except darkness. Wait; take the lamp, and you go first, my darling; you have your talisman; nothing will happen to you." Blanche entered first; she seemed more curious than alarmed, while the old woman could scarcely persuade herself to follow. The closet was six feet square, and held nothing but two big empty chests placed on the floor, which time had covered with dust and spiders' webs. "Well now, my dear nurse," said Blanche, smiling, "where are the sorcerers? I don't see anything frightful here." "In fact," answered Marguerite, glancing all about her; "there's nothing but four walls, no other door, and these two chests are empty. I'm sure that no one has disturbed this place for half a century. No matter; I swear to you that I shall not come back here again. I don't know why I feel so uneasy here. How the floor creaks under our feet!" "It's because no one has walked here for a long time; this house is old." "Come, my dear child, let us leave this closet; I shall shut the door and double-lock it, and I shan't open it again while I stay in this room." Thus saying, Marguerite pushed Blanche before her, then closed the little door and double-locked it, murmuring between her teeth, "Alas! if some sorcerer should wish to open the door that lock would not resist him; but every night I shall cross my shovel and tongs before it." This visit terminated, Blanche went down, humming to herself the romance of the evening before, and Marguerite returned to her work.