No voice answered, and in vague terror the girl caught Teddy by the hand. "Oh! do you think he is dead?" she whispered! "I don't know," he replied blankly; "perhaps he is not here, or there may be some more doors to open. See, here is Dentham, with two more lights." Olive took one of the candles, and headed by Teddy the little band went forward along the narrow passage and at length found themselves in the circular vault, which looked weird and spectral-looking with its strange decorations. "Looks like the cave of a magician," said Teddy, slowly waving his light to and fro. "Hullo, what's up?" His sudden exclamation was caused by Dentham, who had dropped his candle, and with chattering teeth, shaking limbs and pale face, pointed to a dark form extended on a couch. With a cry of terror Olive rushed forward and held the light close to the figure's face, and fell on her knees with a shriek. "It's Adrian!--Adrian!--and he's dead." "Dead!" echoed Rudall in an awed tone, "impossible." "No, it's true; quite true," she shrieked, setting her candle down on the floor. "His limbs are cold, his eyes are closed, and I can't feel his heart beat." "Roversmire may have thrown him into a trance," said Rudall reassuringly, who in the face of this strange discovery was willing now to credit Roversmire with all kinds of superhuman powers, "here, Miss Maunders, take up your candle and hold mine--Dentham and myself will carry--the--I mean will carry Adrian upstairs to the light." Almost overcome by grief, Olive was yet sufficiently mistress of herself to do what he asked, and arose to her feet, holding a light in each hand, while the tears she was unable to wipe away streamed down her pale face. "Come on," said Teddy, seeing that Dentham, overcome with fear, made no move, "take Mr. Lancaster by the head." "I dare not," whispered Dentham, shrinking back, "he's dead." "How do you know he is dead?" said Rudall, angrily, "he may be only in a trance--do what I tell you, or I'll thrash you within an inch of your life." On hearing this Dentham with manifest reluctance did as he was told, but gave a shudder of fear as he seized the inert feet of the figure on the couch. Teddy held up the head, and, preceded by Olive with the lights, the two men with great difficulty managed to carry the body upstairs to the sitting-room. Olive's courage sustained her thus far, but when she saw Adrian's body lying on the floor stiff and cold, she let the candles fall from her hands and flung herself down in a paroxysm of sorrow. "Oh, Adrian!--Adrian!" she wailed, clasping one cold hand, "he is dead!--dead!" "Nonsense," said Teddy roughly, kneeling beside the still form, "if he were dead, symptoms of decay would have set in long ago--he's not dead, I tell you, but in a trance." The girl dried her eyes, summoned up all her courage, and arose to her feet. "Are you certain he is not dead?" she asked breathlessly.