Sybil began to prepare the breakfast, but none of the party felt like

eating it.

"And that is another sign of opium! We have no appetite," observed Lyon

Berners, as they sat down around the table-cloth; and instead of

discussing the viands before them, they discussed the events of the

preceding day and night.

Lyon Berners remembered that Sybil and himself had spent nearly the

whole of the preceding afternoon in rambling through the woods; and he

suggested as the only solution of the mystery that, during their absence

some one had entered the chapel, and put opium in their food and drink.

"'Some one;' but whom?" inquired Captain Pendleton, incredulously.

"Most probably the girl whom we have seen here," answered Mr. Berners.

"But for what purpose do you think she drugged your drink?"

"To throw us into a deep sleep for many hours, which would enable her to

come and go, to and from the chapel, undiscovered and unmolested."

"But why should she wish to come back and forth to such a dreary, empty

old place as this?"

"Ah! that I cannot tell; at that point conjecture is utterly baffled,"

answered Lyon.

"Yes; because conjecture has been pursuing a phantom--a phantom that

vanishes upon being nearly approached. I cannot accept your theory of

the mystery, Berners; and what is worse, I cannot substitute one of my

own," said Captain Pendleton, shaking his head.

"And now I have something to reveal," said Sybil, solemnly.

"Another morning dream?" inquired Lyon, while Pendleton looked up with

interest.

"No; a reality--a ghastly, horrible reality," she answered.

And while both looked at her with strange, deep interest and curiosity,

she related her sepulchral experiences of the night. When with pale

cheeks and shuddering frame she described the six dark, shrouded forms

that had come up out of the vault, bearing long shadowy coffins, which

they carried in a slow procession down along the east wall, past the

Gothic windows and out at the front door, her two listeners looked at

her, and then at each other, in amazement and incredulity.

"It was an opium dream," said Mr. Berners, in a positive manner.

"It would be useless, dear Lyon, for me to tell you that I was rather

wider awake then than I am now, yet I really was," said Sybil, with

equal assurance.

"And yet you did not lift hand or voice to call my attention to what was

going on."

"I did not wish to do it; my will seemed palsied. I could only gaze at

the awful procession and think how ghastly it was, and thinking so, I

sank into a dreamless sleep, and knew no more until I woke up this

afternoon."

"Meanwhile let us go and look at the door of the vault. You say the

door was wide open?" inquired Captain Pendleton.




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