HIS FINIS. 391 



Just then a party of searchers arrived to report 

 their utter failure. 



" Men," said Yaspard, " I have reason to believe that 

 Gertson was in the ruined Ha' this evening. Come 

 with me, and I believe we will find the old man 

 there." 



A laugh from some, and a frightened negative from 

 others, greeted Yaspard's speech ; but, nothing abashed, 

 he briefly explained his reasons for supposing that 

 James must be there, and in spite of their superstitious 

 fears he succeeded, by adroitly hinting that very likely 

 they would find the miser's hoard in the ruin, in per- 

 suading the party to accompany him to the place. 

 Trimming their lanterns afresh, and screwing up their 

 courage with the thought of discovering Gertson's long- 

 kept secret, the men, headed by Yaspard, started for 

 the Ha'. 



How lonesome and grim it looked standing so 

 forlorn among the snow wreathes ! It did require no 

 little amount of courage to pass through the broken 

 doorway into the silent desolation within. Yaspard 

 flashed his lantern around the dark chamber into 

 which the party had stumbled, and then he discovered 

 the candlestick left by Gertson on the window ledge. 

 At the same moment one of his companions found 

 Gertson's hat, which had fallen off when he was strug- 

 gling to free himself from the horrid grip of his unknown 

 foe. All dread of the supernatural vanished, and the 

 men eagerly inspected the place, taking for granted 

 that they would certainly find James there. 



