Paul lifted his eyes. The roof was gone, and the stars shone down
upon him through the open space. About him were rough walls of
crumbling stone, rapidly falling to decay; there were no pictures,
there were no stairs with their uncanny portraits, there was no great
open fire-place with the blazing logs, nor hanging lamp, nor cheery
pew--all--all was gone--and nothing but ruin and decay remained, save
some bunches of ivy which had climbed above the edge of the tottering
wall, outlined dimly in the moonlight. The floor had rotted away, and
dank grass and bushes and heaps of stone had filled its place. A pool
of water in a distant corner reflected the sky and a star or two, and
the dismal croaking of a frog was the only sound he heard. Through
the open casements wild vines and stunted trees had thrust their
boughs, and beyond were the pines and hemlocks. Paul stood erect, and
stared around him in blank amazement. Where was Ah Ben? He too had
departed with the rest. Dazed and wondering, Henley sauntered toward
the door, or rather to where the door had once stood, now only an
open portal of crumbling stone, from the crevices of which grew
bushes and a tangled network of vines. Climbing down over a mass of
fallen bricks, he wandered out into the grounds. The lawn was buried
beneath a confused jumble of rubbish and weeds, and the forest
encroached upon its rights. The graveled road was no longer visible,
wild grass, moss, and piles of fallen stone having covered it far
below. As he looked above, the moon shone through the casement of a
ruined window, and an owl hooted dismally from the open belfry. The
old house was a wreck, a tottering ruin, from whatever point he
looked; and no room above or below seemed habitable. He walked around
to see if the blank wall which guarded the secret chamber was still
intact. Yes, there it was; it alone remained untouched by the ravages
of time or war. The portraits and human remains were probably safe in
their hiding place, and Paul shuddered at the thought. What hand had
bound them up in that strange old corner to be hid forever from the
eyes of men? He had heard no human word, nor was there apparently any
shelter where man or woman could live. Presently amid the deep
shadows of the forest something moved. It came nearer, and then from
beneath the trees walked out into the moonlight. Paul started; but at
the same moment a familiar voice spoke to him. It was Ah Ben's.