frank looked with some surprise at the womanwho was looking through the slide of his door. hehad expected to see nathan graves. she also regardedhim with interest.

``i have brought you some supper,'' she said.

frank reached out and drew in a small waiter,containing a cup of tea and a plate of toast.

``thank you,'' he said. ``where is the man whobrought me here?''

``he has gone out.''

``do you know why he keeps me here in confinement?''

``no,'' said the woman, hastily. ``i know nothing.

i see much, but i know nothing.''

``are many prisoners brought here as i havebeen?'' asked our hero, in spite of the woman's refusalto speak.

``no.''

``i can't understand what object they can have indetaining me. if i were rich, i might guess, but iam poor. i am compelled to work for my dailybread, and have been out of a place for two weeks.''

``i don't understand,'' she said, in a low voice,rather to herself than to him. ``but i cannot wait.

i must not stand here. i will come up in fifteenminutes, and if you wish another cup of tea, or sometoast, i will bring them.''

his confinement did not affect his appetite, forhe enjoyed his tea and toast; and when, as she hadpromised, the woman came up, he told her he wouldlike another cup of tea, and some more toast.

``will you answer one question?'' asked our hero.

``i don't know,'' answered the woman in a flurriedtone.

``you look like a good woman. why do you stayin such a house as this?''

``i will tell you, though i should do better to besilent. but you won't betray me?''

``on no account.''

``i was poor, starving, when i had an applicationto come here. the man who engaged me told methat it was to be a housekeeper, and i had no suspicionof the character of the house--that it was aden of--''

she stopped short, but frank understood whatshe would have said.

``when i discovered the character of the house, iwould have left but for two reasons. first, i hadno other home; next, i had become acquainted withthe secrets of the house, and they would have fearedthat i would reveal them. i should incur great risk.

so i stayed.''

here there was a sound below. the womanstarted.

``some one has come,'' she said. ``i must go downi will come up as soon as i can with the rest of yoursupper.''

``thank you. you need not hurry.''

our hero was left to ponder over what he hadheard. there was evidently a mystery connected withthis lonely house a mystery which he very muchdesired to solve. but there was one chance. throughthe aperture in the closet he might both see andhear something, provided any should meet there thatevening.

the remainder of his supper was brought him bythe same woman, but she was in haste, and he obtainedno opportunity of exchanging another wordwith her.

frank did not learn who it was that had arrived.

listening intently, he thought he heard some soundsin the next room. opening the closet door, andapplying his eye to the aperture, he saw two menseated in the room, one of whom was the man whohad brought him there.

he applied his ear to the opening, and heard thefollowing conversation:

``i hear you've brought a boy here, nathan,'' saidthe other, who was a stout, low-browed man, withan evil look.

``yes,'' said graves, with a smile; ``i am going toboard him here a while.''

``what's it all about? what are you going to gainby it?''

``i'll tell you all i know. i've known something ofthe family for a long time. john wade employedme long ago. the old millionaire had a son whowent abroad and died there. his cousin, john wade,brought home his son--a mere baby--the old man'sgrandson, of course, and sole heir, or likely to be,to the old man's wealth, if he had lived. in thatcase, john wade would have been left out in the cold,or put off with a small bequest.''

``yes. did the boy live?''

``no; he died, very conveniently for john wade,and thus removed the only obstacle from his path.''

``very convenient. do you think there was anyfoul play?''

``there may have been.''

``but i should think the old man would have suspected.''

``he was away at the time. when he returned tothe city, he heard from his nephew that the boy wasdead. it was a great blow to him, of course. now,i'll tell you what,'' said graves, sinking his voice sothat frank found it difficult to hear, ``i'll tell youwhat i've thought at times.''

``i think the grandson may have been spirited offsomewhere. nothing more easy, you know. murderis a risky operation, and john wade is respectable,and wouldn't want to run the risk of a halter.''

``you may be right. you don't connect this storyof yours with the boy you've brought here, do you?''

``i do,'' answered graves, emphatically. ``ishouldn't be surprised if this was the very boy!''

``what makes you think so?''

``first, because there's some resemblance betweenthe boy and the old man's son, as i remember him.

next, it would explain john wade's anxiety to getrid of him. it's my belief that john wade has recognizedin this boy the baby he got rid of fourteenyears ago, and is afraid his uncle will make thesame discovery.''

frank left the crevice through which he hadreceived so much information in a whirl of new andbewildering thoughts.

``was it possible,'' he asked himself, ``that hecould be the grandson of mr. wharton, his kindbenefactor?''