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passage and peeped in at the open door.

"'Brunton, the butler, was in the library. He was
sitting, fully dressed, in an easy-chair, with a slip
of paper which looked like a map upon his knee, and
his forehead sunk forward upon his hand in deep
thought. I stood dumb with astonishment, watching him
from the darkness. A small taper on the edge of the
table shed a feeble light which sufficed to show me
that he was fully dressed. Suddenly, as I looked, he
rose from his chair, and walking over to a bureau at
the side, he unlocked it and drew out one of the
drawers. From this he took a paper, and returning to
his seat he flattened it out beside the taper on the
edge of the table, and began to study it with minute
attention. My indignation at this calm examination of
our family documents overcame me so far that I took a
step forward, and Brunton, looking up, saw me standing
in the doorway. He sprang to his feet, his face
turned livid with fear, and he thrust into his breast
the chart-like paper which he had been originally
studying.

"'"So!" said I. "This is how you repay the trust
which we have reposed in you. You will leave my
service to-morrow."

"'He bowed with the look of a man who is utterly
crushed, and slunk past me without a word. The taper
was still on the table, and by its light I glanced to
see what the paper was which Brunton had taken from
the bureau. To my surprise it was nothing of any
importance at all, but simply a copy of the questions
and answers in the singular old observance called the
Musgrave Ritual. It is a sort of ceremony peculiar to
our family, which each Musgrave for centuries past has
gone through on his coming of age--a thing of private
interest, and perhaps of some little importance to the
archaeologist, like our own blazonings and charges,
but of no practical use whatever.'

"'We had better come back to the paper afterwards,'
said I.

"'If you think it really necessary,' he answered, with
some hesitation. 'To continue my statement, however:
I relocked the bureau, using the key which Brunton had
left, and I had turned to go when I was surprised to
find that the butler had returned, and was standing
before me.

"'"Mr. Musgrave, sir," he cried, in a voice which was
hoarse with emotion, "I can't bear disgrace, sir.
I've always been proud above my station in life, and
disgrace would kill me. My blood will be on your
head, sir--it will, indeed--if you drive me to
despair. If you cannot keep me after what has passed,
then for God's sake let me give you notice and leave
in a month, as if of my own free will. I could stand
that, Mr. Musgrave, but not to be cast out before all
the folk that I know so well."

"'"You don't deserve much consideration, Brunton," I
answered. "Your conduct has been most infamous.
However, as you have been a long time in the family, I
have no wish to bring public disgrace upon you. A
month, however is too long. Take yourself away in a

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