"Why, here's a nail," said Charley, "close to the wall. You'll tear your gowns on it. I'll pull it out."
Celia's very heart sank.
"Leave it just now, Charley," said Harry, coolly; "we shall want you and your candle."
Charley sprang down and rejoined the searching party. Outside the door they were also joined by Venus, who followed them into the next room, which had been the bed-chamber of Isabella. She picked out Captain Wallace, and followed close at his heels, paying no attention to anybody else. The room was searched like the others, the last thing which the Captain did being to look up the chimney. No sooner did he approach the fireplace than Venus gave an angry growl and made a futile attempt to bite him through his thick boots.
"What is the brute growling at?" demanded the Squire.
"I don't know, indeed," said Harry.
The growling continued so long as Captain Wallace was near the chimney, but nobody except Venus knew why. As soon as the party turned from Isabella's room to Henrietta's, which was the next, Venus trotted back to Celia. At the close of the inspection, both Captain Wallace and Squire Passmore were forced to acknowledge that no trace of any hidden fugitive could be discovered. They went down-stairs.
Five minutes later Harry came lightly up again, and called to Celia, who was helping Lucy to replace the dresses in the closet. She found him in Isabella's chamber.
"Let us look at this chimney, Celia," he said. "It must be very near the hiding-place. What made Veny growl?"
He had brought a small ladder from the housemaid's closet, with which he mounted as far as he could go inside the wide old chimney. When he came down, he looked pale and excited.