Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1863 edition. Excerpt: ...been more or less implicated. Your uncle, though a wealthy, had always been an extravagant man, and I fear that he was induced by Arthur Snow, who, though only a butler, was much in his master's confidence, if not to participate in his crimes, occasionally to avail himself of money which he knew had been dishonestly got. A feeling of remorse at length drove him to take away his own life in the room which you know afterwards was called "the haunted room." My husband while a servant in the house had discovered that there was an underground chamber underneath this room, and connected with it by a secret passage; this chamber was also connected with one of the canals of the town by an underground passage, and had been formerly used by smugglers as a storehouse for their goods. Arthur Snow on his master's death determined to employ this secret chamber as a safe place in which he might coin counterfeit money, the only room in the house which was connected with it being uninhabited, in consequence of the awful death which had taken place in it. It was this chamber that was the scene of our illegal trade. One of our gang had a place as servant in your aunt's house, and, by judiciously inspiring a dread of the haunted room into the other servants, secured us from any interruption after night-fall. I must now return to my own history. After my husband's death, you might imagine that I must have at once given up my dishonest life. But alas! The excitement and the danger of our occupation, and a desire to share the fortunes of my brother Edward, determined me to follow the path of wickedness upon which I had entered. It was, however, the opinion of my accomplices that I could be of more use to the gang by obtaining the place of lady's maid...