"Oh, Ralph," cried Miriam, "I couldn't have gone back. If there are floors to the rooms, they will do to sleep on for to-night." At this moment a wide front door opened, revealing a colored woman holding a lamp. "Good evenin'," said she; "walk in." When Ralph and Miriam had entered, the woman looked out the open door. "Is you all?" she asked. "Oh, yes," said Ralph. The woman hesitated a moment, looked out again, and then closed the door. "Would you like to go to your rooms afore supper?" she asked. The brother and sister were so absorbed in gazing about them, that they did not hear the question. The lamp, still in the woman's hand, gave a poor and vacillating light, but they could see a wide, long hall, tall doors opening on each side, some high-backed chairs, and other dark-colored furniture. "Yer rooms is ready," continued the woman; "ye can take yer pick of them. Supper'll be on the table the minute ye come down. Ye'd better take this lamp, sir, and thar's another one in the upper hall. I expect ye two is brother and sister. Ye're alike as two pins of different sizes." "You're right," said Ralph, holding up the lamp, and looking about him; "but please tell me, where are the stairs?" "Oh, yer open that glass door right in front of ye," said the woman. "I'd go with yer, but I smell somethin' bilin' over now." Opening the glass door, they saw before them a narrow staircase in two flights. "Stairs shut up in a room of their own," said Ralph, as they ascended. "Did you ever see anything like this before?" "I never saw anything like anything before," said Miriam, in a low, reverent voice. On the floor above they found another wide hall, and four or five open doors. "There is your lamp," said Ralph to his sister; "take the first room you come to, and to-morrow we will pick and choose." "Who would have thought," said Miriam, "that a woman--" "Don't let us think or talk of her now," interrupted her brother. "To hurry down to supper is our present business." When the two went downstairs, they found the colored woman standing by an open door in the rear of the hall. "Supper's ready, sir," said she, and they entered the dining-room. It was a large and rather sparely furnished room, but Miriam and Ralph took no note of anything except the table, which stood in the middle of the floor, lighted by a hanging lamp. It was a large table and arranged for eight people with chairs at every place. The woman gave a little laugh, as she said:--