Just that one cry, ringing wild and plaintive through the wood; and then silence, broken by a loud, angry rumble of thunder.  
Ralph stood there trembling, too agitated to speak; and his two chums turned anxiously towards him, bewildered at the change which had come over him.
 
"Ralph, old fellow, why, whatever is it? What has come to you?" they asked; and he replied in hoarse, trembling tones—
 
"That call! Did you not hear it? There is only one person who would give that, and he is my own father."
 
For a moment they were staggered by his answer; then Warren said gently—
 
"But, Ralph, how can it be your father? It was only the echo, old fellow."
 
"It was not the echo. It was his voice. Listen—try and hear where it comes from!" And once again, through the dripping wood, he sent the Indian cry.
 
"Now, listen—listen!" he said; and they waited, but no sound came in answer—nothing but the shiver[Pg 214] of the trees, the patter of the rain, and the distant growling of the storm.
 
"There, you see. It must have been the echo!" said Warren; but Ralph shook his head.
 
"Do not be silly, Warren. If it was the echo it would be heard again; but we heard nothing."
 
Which direction did it come from? They forgot about the wet and the storm; they forgot everything in the excitement of the moment. Which direction had the cry come from?
 
Warren declared that it sounded as if it was under ground; Charlton said he fancied that it came from high up, as if some one was in the air; and Ralph fancied that it was straight ahead.
 
"What shall we do?" was the question of Warren and Ralph answered—
 
"I am going forward. I mean to search this plantation from end to end, if I am trespassing twenty times over."
 
So on the three went, and again and again did they pause while Ralph uttered his wild call, but no answer was heard.
 
They pushed on, their hearts full of excitement, until they emerged from the trees with almost startling suddenness. The plantation was nothing like so thick as they had thought—it was a mere belt of wood, surrounding a neglected lawn; and in the centre of this, encircled by a wall, stood the very last thing they would have expected to find there—a house.
 
[Pg 215]
 
A house; but so dreary, desolate looking. All the windows stared blank and empty, and were encrusted with dirt and grime. Not a trace of smoke curled up from the chimney-stack, not a sound of life was heard. It seemed empty, desolate, drear; and the masses of creeper, hanging down and swinging in the breath of the storm, only intensified the desolate picture it made.
 
The three lads, standing there with every nerve thrilled by a strange, inexplicable excitement, surveyed the place, and looked at each other in questioning silence, until Warren said softly—
 
"Well, I am blest! Who would have thought of finding a house here?"
 
"Where are you going, Ralph?" cried Charlton, for Ralph was moving forward; and he replied firmly—
 
"To that house. I mean to see if any one lives here."
 
Right up to the wall walked Ralph. It was a high wall, and only the upper part of the house could be seen above it. But they found a gate on the other side; and, without a moment's hesitation, Ralph pushed it open, entered the garden, and, walking up to the door, lifted the knocker.
 
With what a dull, hollow sound did it fall! A ghostly sound, that echoed through the house, with that peculiar vibration which is heard when a place is empty.
 
"There is no one here," whispered Warren, after a[Pg 216] pause—somehow they found themselves speaking in whispers. "The house is empty."
 
Ralph, for answer, knocked again, a louder and longer summons. "Listen!" he said; and from somewhere they heard a faint sound, as of a door being shut.
 
"It's only the wind, making a door slam," was Warren's comment. But, for the third time, Ralph sent his call resounding—there was no mistake about that knock—if any one was in the place they must hear it, for the door fairly creaked beneath the blows.
 
Another pause, a shuffling noise from within, the sound of some one coming from distant passages, then the unfastening of bolts and chains, and the door was opened a little space, while a man, big, burly, and brutal looking, filled the doorway, and barred their entrance—an altogether evil-looking, cruel-faced man, who, scowling upon the three lads, demanded in gruff tones what they wanted, and how it was they were here.
 
Just for the moment the three were taken aback; or, brave as they might be, still they were only lads, and that scowling presence was certainly very ominous. But Ralph plucked up his courage, and answered that they were three lads from the distant school, and that they had been overtaken by the storm and were seeking shelter.
 
The man had stood glaring from one to the other as[Pg 217] the explanation was given; and then he said, in the gruffest of accents—
 
"Well, and what is all this to me? That is no reason why you should trespass on my land, and come knocking at my door. I don't want to know that you are getting wet. It's no interest of mine, is it?"
 
"But we are seeking for shelter," persisted Ralph. "Surely you will not refuse to give that to us?" And he made a slight ............