"What's the matter?" cried every one simultaneously. "Somebody bring a candle!" commanded the Imp. "There's something queer here!" Louis rushed away to get one, and was back in a jiffy. "Here it is," he said, handing it in to the Imp. While she lit it the three crowded into the doorway to see whatever was to be revealed. "It's this hole," explained the Imp, holding the candle to a space about six inches in diameter, near the base of the wall. "It was back of a pile of bundles, and I guess it must have been made by mice or rats, for the gnawed bits are lying all around. It must be rather recent, too, for it looks so. My hand slipped into it a moment ago, and the boarding came loose as I was trying to get it out. I think it must be because it was so old and rotten. Anyhow, it pulled away, and I just caught a glimpse of something behind it that seemed strange." Louis crowded into the closet at this, and gave the board a wrench. It fell away, disclosing a sight that made the four stare with surprise. "Why, it's a _fireplace_!" cried the Imp, poking her head in as Louis pulled away another board. "A great, immense fireplace, even bigger than the one in your living-room." It was nothing less. Each girl took a turn at poking her head into the open space, and all were amazed at the breadth of the great chimney-place, which still contained the andirons and curious old hooks and cranes of bygone years. "I must tell the others!" cried Louis. "I'm sure they'll be interested in this." And he rushed away to inform them. While he was gone, the Imp suddenly emerged from the closet in great excitement. "I have an idea," she whispered to the others. "I may be crazy, but I believe we're on the track of the hiding-place of those papers. Don't you remember what Monsieur said about a _chimney_?" The two girls looked startled. Before they could discuss the matter, however, back came Louis with Monsieur and the Meadows couple behind him. "It's perfectly clear to me," Louis was explaining to them, "that at some time or other, pretty far back, some one had the great 'long kitchen' in this house made into two rooms, and the original walls and fireplace were entirely boarded-up and concealed. I always thought it rather strange that this house, which is exactly the same build and design as the old Caswell place, for instance, or a dozen others around here, should be entirely without that immense 'long kitchen,' as they call it, that all the rest have. You know it's the original kitchen of the former New Englanders. They used it as kitchen and dining-room and everything. The fireplace is the biggest in the house, for often they would have an ox drag into the room a great log that would entirely fill the chimney-place. Somebody has evidently had that room made into two smaller ones, with no fireplace at all. Queer thing to do. I wonder why they did it?"