When the smoke had cleared away, Roland looked vainly around. He was alone. He sprang into the cistern howling with rage. He sounded the walls with the butt-end of his pistol, he stamped on the ground; but everywhere, earth and stone gave back the sound of solid objects. He tried to pierce the darkness, but it was impossible. The faint moonlight that filtered into the cistern died out at the first steps. “Oh!” cried Roland, “a torch! a torch!” No one answered. The only sound to be heard was the spring bubbling close at hand. Realizing that further search would be useless, he emerged from the cavern. Drawing a powder-horn and two balls from his pocket, he loaded his pistols hastily. Then he took the path along which he had just come, found the dark passage, then the vast refectory, and again took his place at the end of the silent hall and waited. But the hours of the night sounded successively, until the first gleam of dawn cast its pallid light upon the walls of the cloister. “Well,” muttered Roland, “it’s over for to-night. Perhaps I shall be more fortunate the next time.” Twenty minutes later he re-entered the Château des Noires-Fontaines. CHAPTER XVII. INVESTIGATIONS Two persons were waiting for Roland’s return; one in anguish, the other with impatience. These two persons were Amélie and Sir John. Neither of them had slept for an instant. Amélie displayed her anguish only by the sound of her door, which was furtively closed as Roland came up the staircase. Roland heard the sound. He had not the courage to pass before her door without reassuring her. “Be easy, Amélie, I am here,” he said. It did not occur to him that his sister might be anxious for any one but him. Amélie darted from her room in her night-dress. It was easy to see from her pallor and the dark circles which spread nearly to the middle of her cheeks that she had not closed her eyes all night. “Has nothing happened to you, Roland?” she cried, clasping her brother in her arms and feeling him over anxiously. “Nothing.” “Nor to any one else?” “No.” “And you saw nothing?” “I didn’t say that,” answered Roland. “Good God! What did you see?” “I’ll tell that to you later. Meantime, there is no one either killed or wounded.” “Ah! I breathe again!” “Now, let me give you a bit of advice, little sister. Go to bed and sleep, if you can, till breakfast. I am going to do the same thing, and can assure you I won’t need any rocking. Good-night, or rather good-morning.” Roland kissed his sister tenderly. Then affecting to whistle a hunting-air carelessly, he ran up the next flight of steps. Sir John was frankly waiting for him in the hall. He went straight to the young man. “Well?” he asked. “Well, I didn’t roll my stone entirely for nothing.” “Did you see any ghosts?” “At any rate I saw something that resembled one very closely.” “Come, tell me all about it.”