She was not devoid of the superstitious feelings of the age, and had heard before of ghostly tappings that were said to be a harbinger of coming death or misfortune.
Tap! tap! tap! The sound continued with a ceaseless regularity, and then came other strange sounds of wrenching and tearing.

These were perhaps not quite so ghostly, but equally alarming.

What could it be?
Who and what could be behind that wall?
Gertrude had heard stories of ghastly robberies, committed during these past days in plague-stricken houses, which were entered by worthless vagabonds, when all within were dead or helpless, and from which vantage ground they had gained access into other houses, and had sometimes brought the dread infection with them.
Gertrude was by nature courageous, and she had always made it a point of duty not to add to her mother's alarms by permitting herself to fall a victim to nervous terrors.

Frightened though she undoubtedly was, therefore, she did not follow the impulse of her fear and run below to summon her father, who was, she suspected, bent on some serious work of his own; but she stood very still and quiet, pressing her hands over her beating heart, resolved if possible to discover the mystery for herself before giving any alarm.
All at once the sounds grew louder; something seemed to give way, and she saw a hand, a man's hand, pushed through some small aperture.

At that she uttered a little cry.
"Who is there ?" she cried, in a shaking voice; and immediately the hand was withdrawn, whilst a familiar and most reassuring voice made answer: "Is anybody there?
I beg ten thousand pardons.