“What’s that?” said Donal.
“What?” returned Mrs. Brookes.
“Those two arches.”
The housekeeper looked at them thoughtfully for a few moments.
“I canna help fancyin’,” she said slowly, “—yes, I’m sure that’s the varra thing my aunt told me aboot! That’s the twa places whaur he was gaein’ to tak the wall doon, to mak the room lairger. But I’m sure she said something aboot buildin’ a wall as weel!”
“Look here,” said Donal; “I will measure the distance from the door to the other side of this first arch.—Now come into the closet behind. Look here! This same measurement takes us right up to the end of the place! So you see if we were to open the other arch, it would be into something behind this wall.”
“Then this may be the varra wa’ he biggit?”
“I don’t doubt it; but what could he have had it built for, if he was going to open the other wall? I must think it all over!—It was after his wife’s death, you say?”
“Yes, I believe so.”
“One might have thought he would not care about enlarging the room after she was gone!”