He approached from the north side. Everything was quiet and gloomy. The air was still and clear, with not a breath of wind stirring. Silence reigned, broken only by the stepping of the horse, and the creaking of the wheels on the ground.
As he passed the house, and looked back at the south side, Carlos gave an involuntary start at seeing one room brilliantly lighted. This was so unexpected, and seemed so out of keeping with the general solitude, that he pulled up his horse and stopped.
He turned around in his seat, and regarded intently the window from which came the light. A careful scrutiny and calculation enabled him to conclude that the room must be his uncle’s study. It was on the ground floor, and, as near as he could judge, in that portion of the house to which he and Leonard had been conducted on their first interview with Colonel Conrad.
What could he be doing at that late hour? Surely, all the rest of the household were abed; and if Colonel Conrad were indisposed, it was, to say the least, curious that he should be occupied reading or studying at that hour. Perhaps he was so ill as to be unable to leave the room or summon assistance.
Suddenly Carlos discovered a dark form hovering stealthily in the shrubbery near the window. This sight decided him. He leaped from the buggy, tied his horse to a stump on the side of the road, and proceeded cautiously toward his uncle’s house.
Slowly he went, climbing over the fence, and making as little noise as possible. He avoided the gravel paths, butkept on the green lawn, which was velvet-like in its softness.
He arrived by the clump of rose-bushes, and thought he heard a rustling among them. He stopped and listened, holding his breath that no sound might escape his ear. Nothing was discernible to break the silence, however, and he resumed his way toward the house.
Finally he stood on the greensward, about a rod from the window he sought. The light was shining brightly still. But another circumstance increased the surprise of Carlos. The window was a long one, extending to the floor, and protected on the outside by blinds.
The blinds were open, and the lower sash of the window was raised.
He again stopped and listened, but still could hear no sound. He crept slowly up to the window and looked in.
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