A MYSTERIOUS CATASTROPHE. 



passage which led into my uncle's study, the door of which we 

 then heard close after him. " He might have left it open, at 

 any rate," said Mrs. Dove, with a look of fluttering wonder- 

 ment. Then all were silent, and, in momentary expectation 

 of Mr. Caligraph's return, minutes went on till they made up 

 perhaps a quarter of a hour but no Caleb re-appeared. What 

 on earth could he be about ? I would have gone to see, but 

 an imploring look from Dolly kept me back, till, thump ! came 

 the sound as of a heavy fall in the direction of the library. 

 We all three started to our feet, and Dolly was the first to 

 reach the kitchen door ; there, however, she hung back, and, 

 holding Lucy back by the hand too, followed me, bearing the 

 candle, up the stairs. 



The book-room door was shut, and something within ob- 

 structed its opening. Open it we however did, wide enough 

 to gain admittance, and then, on the floor behind, found ex- 

 tended the prostrate length of Caleb. Dolly's fears took at 

 the sight a new turn ; she held the candle with a trembling 

 hand over the features of her old fellow-servant, fixed now in 

 even more than usual rigidity ; but when by their scrutiny she 

 had ascertained that nothing serious, in the way at least of 

 bodily disorder, had overtaken him, she drew from that tra- 

 velling dispensary, her ample pocket, some pungent restorer 

 of the wandering senses, and plied it assiduously till Caleb 

 opened his ink-blot eyes, and, with recollection still at fault, 

 recovered slowly sufficient of corporeal energy to rise from 



