"Thank you ever so much," said Calista. "I was just wondering what I ought to do about it; and to tell you the truth," she added, lowering her voice, "I did not quite fancy the task of going round alone, for I could not help thinking there was someone prying about the house this evening." "Indeed! What reason had you for thinking so? But never mind now. You shall tell me up stairs in my room, for I want a little talk with you before you go to bed. Meantime, if you are not afraid, you can go round with me and hold the light." "Who will do this when you are gone?" said Calista, struck with the thought as Miss Druett tried the fastening of bolt and bar in the great dusky kitchen. Miss Druett sighed. "I don't know who will do a great many things," said she. "I fear Priscilla will miss me more than she thinks." "She missed you enough this evening, I am sure of that," said Calista. "She almost cried because there was no one to play cribbage with her. I offered to try to learn, but I think I must be very stupid, for I could make nothing of it. However, she did not scold me, and it helped to pass away a part of the time." "Cribbage is a very intricate game, and Priscilla never had any faculty of teaching. I think, Calista, if you are not tired, we will go through the cellars—all at least that are unlocked. I should like to make sure of them." "What a castle of a place it is!" said Calista, holding up her light and surveying the long gallery, floored with brick, and with heavy doors opening on either hand. "It looks like something in an old romance. What is in all these cellars, Miss Druett?" "Nothing at all in most of them," answered Miss Druett. "There is some silver plate and china packed away in this one, and a good deal of valuable wine in that further one, at the end of the hall." "Here is a door bricked up," said Calista. "What is that?" "That is another small wine-cellar which has a history," answered Miss Druett. "When your father was born, your grandfather had just received a quantity of very fine Madeira, which had made the voyage to India. He ordered two small casks to be placed in this cellar and built up as you see, saying that one should be opened on his son's marriage, and the other at the weaning of his eldest child." "And it has staid there, undisturbed, all this time," said Calista. "Father and grandfather are both gone, but the wine stays on. Perhaps it is just as well there as anywhere else. I sometimes think so much wine drinking is not very desirable." "More people than you are beginning to think so," said Miss Druett. "Well, as everything is safe for the night, we may leave these old vaults to the centipedes and the efts." "Affets" she called them. "See, there is one now!" said Calista, pointing out the little red lizard running up the wall. "Are affets poison, Miss Druett?"