A terrible gloom fell
upon him: there was not a light in the sullen pile! It was darksome
even to terror! He went to the main entrance, and rang the great
bell as loud as he could ring it, but there was no answer to the
summons, which echoed and yelled horribly, as if the house were
actually empty. He rang again, and again came the horrible yelling
echo, but no more answer than if it had been a mausoleum. He had
been told what to expect, yet his heart sank within him. Once more
he rang and waited; but there was no sound of hearing. The place
grew terrible to him. But his mother had sent him there, and into it
he must go! He must at least learn whether it was indeed abandoned!
There was false play! he kept repeating to himself; but what was it?
where and how was it to be met?
As to getting into the house there was no difficulty. He had but to
climb two walls to get to the door of Baliol's tower, and the key of
that he always carried. If he had not had it, he would yet soon have
got in; he knew the place better than any one else about it. Happily
he had left the door locked when he went away, else probably they
would have secured it otherwise. He entered softly, and, with a
strange feeling of dread, went winding up the stair to his
room--slowly, because he did not yet know at all what he was to do.
If there were no false play, surely at least Mrs.
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