I will ask him." The man with the halberd in his hand was walking up and down before an adjoining house, bearing the ominous red cross and piteous inscription: "Lord have mercy on us!" "I don't know, sir," was his answer to Ormiston.

"If any one there has the plague, they must have taken it lately; for I heard this morning there was to be a wedding there to-night." "I never heard of any one screaming in that fashion about a wedding," said Ormiston, doubtfully.

"Do you know who lives there ?" "No, sir.

I only came here, myself, yesterday, but two or three times to-day I have seen a very beautiful young lady looking out of the window." Ormiston thanked the man, and went back to report to his friend.
"A beautiful young lady!" said Sir Norman, with energy.

"Then I mean to go directly up and see about it, and you can follow or not, just as you please." So saying, Sir Norman entered the open doorway, and found himself in a long hall, flanked by a couple of doors on each side.