But there was no challenge from here, and Roy walked silently in at the arched door-way, passed the secretary's door, and mounted the stair to severely admonish the sentry who was not keenly on the alert. "Don't let him off easy, Master Roy," whispered Ben; "we might have been an enemy, sir, for aught he could tell." This was spoken with the sergeant's lips to his young master's ear, and a few moments later Roy was at the top of the little turret, and stood there in the door-way ready to pounce upon the man whom he expected to find asleep. But to his great satisfaction the sentry was well on the alert, for he was kneeling at one of the crenelles, reaching out as far as he could, and evidently watching something away to the north, while all was so still and dark that the movement of a fish or water-rat in the deep moat below sounded loud and strange. Roy stepped out silently, crossed the narrow leads, and stood looking in the same direction as the sentinel; but he could make out nothing, and he was about to speak when the man, who had suddenly divined his presence, sprang up and clapped his hand to his sword. "Stand!" he cried, hoarsely. Roy gave the word, and Ben stepped out of the door-way to his side. "Why, sir, you quite scared me," faltered the man; "I didn't hear you come." "You should have heard," said Roy, sternly. "What were you watching there?" "That's what I don't know, sir. I see a light out yonder somewheres about where them old stones is on the hill. And then I thought I heard talking, but that's quarter of an hour ago." Both Roy and his companion had a good long look, but there was nothing to see or hear; and after admonishing the man to keep an eye upon the place, they descended and visited the sentries on the north-east and south-east towers, to find them well upon the _qui vive_. After this they descended, and Ben led the way to the armoury, where he set the lantern on the table, took a spare candle from a box, and a bunch of keys from a drawer. "May mean nothing, Master Roy; but I don't understand what light there could be up nigh the old chapel ruins, nor who could be talking there at this time of night." "Not likely to be anything wrong, Ben, because if they had been enemies, they would not have shown a light." "Signal perhaps, sir." "Well, they wouldn't have talked aloud." "Don't suppose they did, sir. Sound runs in a still, dark night like this. Well, anyways it seems to me as it's quite time we had a good look round to see if there's a hole anywhere in the bottom of the pot, so if you're ready, so am I. Only say the word."