The picture gallery.

the house is crencled to and fro, And hath so queint waies for to go, For it is shapen as the mase is wrought.

Chaucer—­Legend of Ariadne.

Luncheon over, and Harry dismissed as usual to lie down, Miss Cameron said to Hugh: 

“You have never been over the old house yet, I believe, Mr. Sutherland.  Would you not like to see it?”

“I should indeed,” said Hugh.  “It is what I have long hoped for, and have often been on the point of begging.”

“Come, then; I will be your guide —­ if you will trust yourself with a madcap like me, in the solitudes of the old hive.”

“Lead on to the family vaults, if you will,” said Hugh.

“That might be possible, too, from below.  We are not so very far from them.  Even within the house there is an old chapel, and some monuments worth looking at.  Shall we take it last?”

“As you think best,” answered Hugh.

She rose and rang the bell.  When it was answered,

“Jacob,” she said, “get me the keys of the house from Mrs. Horton.”

Jacob vanished, and reappeared with a huge bunch of keys.  She took them.

“Thank you.  They should not be allowed to get quite rusty, Jacob.”

“Please, Miss, Mrs. Horton desired me to say, she would have seen to them, if she had known you wanted them.”

“Oh! never mind.  Just tell my maid to bring me an old pair of gloves.”

Jacob went; and the maid came with the required armour.

“Now, Mr. Sutherland.  Jane, you will come with us.  No, you need not take the keys.  I will find those I want as we go.”

She unlocked a door in the corner of the hall, which Hugh had never seen open.  Passing through a long low passage, they came to a spiral staircase of stone, up which they went, arriving at another wide hall, very dusty, but in perfect repair.  Hugh asked if there was not some communication between this hall and the great oak staircase.

“Yes,” answered Euphra; “but this is the more direct way.”

As she said this, he felt somehow as if she cast on him one of her keenest glances; but the place was very dusky, and he stood in a spot where the light fell upon him from an opening in a shutter, while she stood in deep shadow.

“Jane, open that shutter.”

The girl obeyed; and the entering light revealed the walls covered with paintings, many of them apparently of no value, yet adding much to the effect of the place.  Seeing that Hugh was at once attracted by the pictures, Euphra said: 

“Perhaps you would like to see the picture gallery first?”

Hugh assented.  Euphra chose key after key, and opened door after door, till they came into a long gallery, well lighted from each end.  The windows were soon opened.

“Mr. Arnold is very proud of his pictures, especially of his family portraits; but he is content with knowing he has them, and never visits them except to show them; or perhaps once or twice a year, when something or other keeps him at home for a day, without anything particular to do.”