8 The Acorn The Old Well It was Christmas Eve in "Old England," 1483. Outside the wind moaned restlessly through the oaks and beeches that guarded the Lutherage castle. Maud Lutherage sat gazing listlessly into the fire, her mind occupied for a short time with the crackling of the merry sparks, as they flew lightly up the chimney. Glancing across the room, she saw the portrait of her mother, beautiful and life like, with her large brown eyes shaded by a curtain of silken lashes, and her chesnut brown hair tinged with gold where the fire-light fell strongest. This picture carried a flood of thoughts to her mind and with it a sad remembrance. It had been almost eight years since her mother had been taken from them. How lonely and dark the fortress had seemed without her! Yet Maud had a companion, her cousin, Gladys Marvin, an orphan whom the kind old Earl had given a home. This was Maud's eighteenth birthday and at her father's request, she had made preparations for a grand "Old English Christmas party." From the expression on Maud's unusually placid face as she sat by the fire, one could plainly see that Gladys had been annoying her. "Wear your prettiest gown tonight, Maud, because you know Captain Wentworth will be here," laughingly suggested Gladys, who seemed to take delight in teasing her good natured cousin about the gay young captain, who was a frequent visitor at the castle. "Captain Went worth!" scoffed Maud, "I think you would just suit each other, a pair of rattle brains." At that moment her maid entered, and said, "Pardon me, Mistress Maud, but I think you should dress yourself for the party. It is quite half past seven, and the guests will soon be here." Gladys' toilet was soon completed. She wore a plain dress of old rose satin, her tawny hair was caught back with a band of ribbons and she carried two pink roses in her hand. She ran down ahead of Maud, whose maid was carefully combing her beautiful brown hair. In the drawing-room, Gladys encountered Captain Went worth, who was struck by her simple beauty. "How charming you look tonight," he exclaimed. "I always do captain," she retorted, "but shall soon rid you of my troublesome presence, and send cousin Maud to entertain you." As she ran away, gaily singing,she dropped a rose and the Captain hurriedly picked it up, and placed it carefully in his pocket-book. The Acorn 9 Just at this moment Maud entered the drawing room. She looked every inch a queen, dressed in a gown of pale blue satin with trimmings of point-lace, and a necklace of pearls. Her face was all aglow with joy, and excitement, and you could see her pearly teeth, as her lips parted to speak welcome words to all. The hours were filled with merry tales, and dancing and the evening passed all too quickly. Christmas morning dawned bright and early, and all the children of the family were brought to the castle to spend the day. A real "Old English" dinner was served The tables decked with flowers fairly groaned under their weight of delicacies. The old hall was gay with its festoons of holly and mistletoe. If perchance a pretty girl sauntered too near the mistletoe, she was surrounded by a whole bevy of boys, and kissed by someone before she could escape. After dinner, the children all clamored for a story from Gladys. Gathering them all around her in the drawing room, she told them this story "Underneath this very castle is a secret well. During the War of the Roses, a beautiful lady, the mistress of this castle, while in hiding in the well, was killed. And it seems to me, it was on Christmas night. Every night since then, her spirit has haunted the well, walled around in the secret chamber, groaned and lamented her fate. This very night if you were to go into the court-yard at midnight, and listen by the old well, you could hear her measured tread, and cries for mercy, as she paces back and forth." Maud, and Captain Wentworth ceased their conversation, and were listening to the quaint superstition of the Castle. "Do you believe that, Gladys," asked the Captain. "Faith, I do, Captain, every word of it, and would rather die than go to the courtyard at midnight," was Gladys' earnest reply. "But Maud, you dont share that silly superstition do you?" "Of-course not, and I don't see how Gladys can believe such nonsense," Maud answered, but if we were to judge from the serious expression on the children's faces, they beleived every word of it. Gladys proposed a game of "hide and seek," and ran into the library and hid herself in a spacious cupboard among the books. A messenger, just before, had handed Sir Luthrege a message which made him turn very pale. He took Captain Wentworth into the library. And told him he had just received word, that the Roundheads were coming to the castle, and would be there in a few moments. "Captain," said Sir Luthrege, "are you a coward? I needn't ask that; because I know you aren't. The only thing for you to do is to go down into the secret chamber of the old well, and remain there