The next day after dinner Aline ran out gaily across the quadrangle, lightly reached the eighth step in two bounds, covering the remaining step and the terrace in two more, and was in the library ready to prosecute her search. She had a long hunt for the Latin Bible in which after much diligence she was successful. She then thought that she would try the key of the old chest and on opening it found it half full of ancient parchments concerning the estate. She discovered that they were quite interesting, but she did not linger looking at them just then. The chest was divided one-third of the way from the front longitudinally up to about half its height and it was possible to put all the parchments into the front half. Aline moved all the papers and then got into the back part of the chest to see what it felt like, before she did anything else. Just as she did so, she heard the library door open and her blood ran cold. In a flash she wondered whether it would be better to get out of the chest or to shut the lid. She decided on the latter, and was just able to shut down the lid quietly when she heard the footsteps that had first gone into the other part of the library turn back in her direction. She had luckily taken the key in her hand with which the chest could be locked on the inside and succeeded in fastening it with hardly any noise. The steps approached the chest and then a voice said, “I thought Aline was in here;--and what was that noise?” It was Audry’s voice so Aline ventured to laugh. “Good gracious, what is that?” exclaimed Audry, and after a click the lid of the chest, to her still greater astonishment, lifted itself up. She sprang back and then in her turn broke into laughter, as Aline’s head emerged from the chest. “What a fright you gave me!” said each of the children simultaneously, and then they both laughed again. “You dear thing, Aline,” and Audry flung her arms round her cousin. “Oh, I am glad that it is you, but you must be very careful about that kist; I do not think that we had better use it unless one of us is on guard. How did you find the key?” “Cousin Richard gave it me; I forgot to tell you, but he does not know anything about the secret room as, oddly enough, he happened to say, when speaking of secret drawers, that he did not think that old James Mowbray had any fancies of that kind.” “He would have found that he had rather elaborate fancies of that kind if he knew what we know, would he not, you little wonder-girl;--what adventures you do have;--whatever will you drag me into next?” “Anyhow I never had adventures till I met you, so perhaps it is due to you.” “Oh, no, you, not I, are the wonder-girl right enough; you have great adventures by yourself.” “Let us come down and see Ian,” said Aline. “All right; you go down this way,” Audry replied. “I want to know how it acts; I’ll wait to see you safe down and then I will go round the other way.” “No, you would like to try the new way; I will go round.”