She had only now to make a plan and compare the figures.
She found that between the back of the bookcase--for she had taken out
a few books to ascertain its depth--and the panel of the dining-room
there was a thickness of two feet; but between the library and the
housekeeper's room there were fully five feet unaccounted for.
In both were deep old-fashioned fireplaces back to back; and even
allowing but six inches between these, the depth there would be
accounted for, but on either side of the fireplaces there would be a
wide space. There were certainly no cupboards visible in the library,
for the bookcases extended from the fireplace to the wall on each
side. In the housekeeper's room there were cupboards on each side of
the chimney-piece, but these were shallow, not being above nine inches
in depth; therefore behind these there was a considerable space
unaccounted for. It was evident to Mrs. Conway that her first search
must lie in this direction. Here might lie two chambers each three
feet wide by eight feet long.
Mrs. Conway's spirits rose at this discovery, and she sighed
impatiently at the thought that another month must elapse before she
could even commence the search. Brooding over the matter continually,
there was one point that did not escape her. These old hiding-places
were made either to conceal proscribed priests or hunted fugitives,
and were constructed with the greatest care.
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