The Childerbridge Mystery

by Guy Boothby

  CHAPTER IX

  Hastening round the gallery of the hall, Jim endeavoured to discoversome traces of the mysterious visitor, spectre or human, whom he hadseen. The corridor, however, leading to the oldest and western portionof the house, was quite empty. Like the remainder of the building, itwas panelled with dark oak, some portion of it being curiously, thoughrichly carved. He searched it up and down, stopping every now and thento listen, but save for the wind sighing round the house, and anoccasional burst of laughter ascending from the servants' hall, he couldhear nothing. At the end of the long corridor a flight of stone stepsled to the domestic offices below. These he descended, and havingreached the servants' hall, called Wilkins, the butler, to him. When thelatter emerged, Jim led him a short distance down the passage before hespoke.

  "Wilkins," he said, "do you remember the night when you thought you sawthe Black Dwarf on the landing?"

  "I shall never forget it, sir," the other replied. "I can never go alongthat corridor now without a shudder. What about it, sir?"

  "Only that I have just seen the figure myself," James replied. "I hadbeen up to the lumber-room, and was descending the stairs when it passedalong the further side of the gallery, in the direction of the westcorridor. Now, Wilkins, I have come down to find out whether you wouldbe afraid to come upstairs with me in order that we may discover whetherwe can come to any understanding of the mystery?"

  "Yes, sir, of course I will come with you," said Wilkins. "At the sametime I am not going to say that I am not a bit frightened, for it wouldnot be the truth. However, sir, I am not going to let you go alone."

  "Come along then," said Jim, "and bring a light of some kind with you."

  Wilkins procured a candle, and then they ascended to the floor above. Asthey reached the corridor Jim turned and caught a glimpse of hiscompanion's face. It looked very white and frightened in the dim light.

  "Cheer up, my man," said he; "if it's a ghost it won't hurt you, and ifit's a human being you and I should be more than a match for him."

  As he said this he opened the door of the first room on the corridor. Itwas empty, and quite devoid of either the natural or the supernatural.

  "Nothing here," said Jim as they passed out into the passage, and intothe next room. This was used as a sewing-room for the female servants,and was furnished with a long table and half-a-dozen chairs. Theyexplored it thoroughly, and having done so, voted it above suspicion.The next room was a bedroom, and had only been once used since theStandertons had come into possession of the house. The walls werepanelled, and there was a curious recess on the side opposite the door.Jim overhauled each panel, and carefully examined the recess, butwithout discovering anything suspicious. Thus they proceeded from roomto room searching every nook and cranny, and endeavouring in everypossible way to account for the creaking noise which had first attractedJim's attention. The carving of the corridor itself was carefullyexamined, every panel of the wainscoting was tested, until at last,having reached the gallery of the hall, they were compelled to ownthemselves beaten. The fact that they had not been able to discoveranything only added to Wilkins' belief in the supernatural agency of theDwarf. Jim, however, had the recollection of that creaking hinge, beforementioned, continually before him. There might be ghostly bodies heargued, but he had never heard of ghostly hinges.

  "Well, it doesn't appear as if we are destined to capture him to-night,"said Jim, when they had finished their labours. "Now one word of advice;just keep the fact of his appearance to yourself, Wilkins. If themaid-servants come to hear of it we shall have no end of trouble."

  Wilkins promised that he would say nothing about the occurrence, andthen returned to the Servants' Hall, leaving Jim standing on the galleryruminating on the behaviour of the figure he had seen.

  "One thing is quite certain, and that is the fact that he disappeared inthe corridor," he said to himself reflectingly. "Now I wonder where hecame from?"

  The only room on that side of the gallery then in use was Alice'sbedroom, and to this Jim forthwith made his way. It was a strange scenethat met his eyes when he opened the door. As he had good reason toknow, Alice was always a most methodical and neat young lady; noweverything was in confusion. The drawers of the dressing-table stoodopen and their contents were strewed upon the table and the floor. Thewriting-table in the further corner of the room was in much the samecondition, while the wardrobe doors were open, and the dresses, whichusually hung upon the pegs, were piled in a heap upon the floor.

  "Good gracious! what on earth does this mean?" said Jim to himself as hegazed upon the scene of confusion. "Has Alice gone mad, or has the BlackDwarf been trying to see how untidy he can make the place? She must notsee the room in this condition, or it may frighten her."

  Thereupon he placed the candle upon the table and did his best torestore something like order. This task accomplished, he went downstairsto the drawing-room, where he found his sister seated beside the firereading.

  "You have been a long time upstairs," she remarked. "What have you beendoing?"

  For a moment Jim had forgotten the important discovery he had made. Inreply he withdrew the photograph from his pocket and handed it to her.She took it with what was almost a shudder. Somewhat to Jim's surprise,she returned it without commenting upon it. He replaced it in hispocket, also without a word, and then stood before the fire, wonderinghow he should tell her of what he had seen. He knew it would cause hersome uneasiness, but at the same time he felt that he ought to place herupon her guard.

  "Alice," he said at last, "do you make a point of locking your bedroomdoor at night?"

  "Lock my bedroom door at night?" she repeated. "No! Why should I?"

  "I can't exactly say why you should," he answered, "but I want you to doso for the future. This is a big, lonely house, and we have to rememberthat you and I are the only people on this side. I wish my room werenearer yours, but as it is not, I think it would be safer if you were todo as I suggest."

  "But what makes you say this to-night?" she asked. "What is it, or whois it, you suspect?"

  "I suspect nobody," he replied. "You must not think that. But there aresuch people as burglars, and it would only be an ordinary act of commonsense to make yourself safe, while you are permitted the opportunity.Ever since that terrible night I have been nervous about you, and forthat reason I have decided upon something, which at first you may thinkstrange."

  "What is it?" she enquired.

  "For the future," he answered, "I intend that Terence shall sleep in theroom next to yours. Then, if any one makes trouble, and help wereneeded, we should have a sure ally at our beck and call."

  "But I hope no one will ever attempt to make trouble, as you describeit," she replied, looking at him with startled eyes as she spoke.

  "I also sincerely hope not," he continued. "Now I am going to seeTerence about the matter."

  He thereupon left her, and went to his study and rang the bell. On thebutler making his appearance he instructed him to bring O'Riley at once.A few minutes later Terence put in appearance.

  "You had better remain also, Wilkins," said Jim. "Just close the doorbehind you, in case any one should chance to overhear us. Now, Terence,I have something to say to you. Doubtless, since you have been in theneighbourhood, you have heard certain stories connected with this house.I suppose you have been told that it has the reputation of beinghaunted."

  "Lor' bless you, sir," Terence replied, "I've heard all sorts of yarnsabout it. There's folk down in the Township yonder, as would no morethink of coming up here after dark than they would of lying down infront of the train and having their heads cut off."

  "You're not a believer in ghosts, I suppose?"

  "Not as I knows on," said Terence candidly. "Though I don't mind sayin'as how there are things as have never been explained to my satisfaction.'Twas said, as you may remember, sir, as how there was a ghost of an oldman to be seen, some nights in the year, waiting to get over at theThirty-Mile Crossing up the river. Then there was the ghos
t outsideSydney, that used to get on the fence beside the road, and ask everybodywho would listen to him to have him properly buried."

  James knew that the man before him was as brave as a lion. He was thepossessor of nerves of iron, and did not know the meaning of the wordfear.

  "Well," he went on after a moment's pause, "the long and the short ofthe matter is, Terence, some little time ago a maid-servant saw what shethought to be the ghost of the Little Black Dwarf up in the galleryoutside. Wilkins here was the next to see it. I thought at the time hemust have been mistaken, but this evening I know that he was not, for Ihave seen it myself."

  "You don't mean that, sir?" said Terence, while Wilkins plainly showedthe triumph he felt. "And what may he have been like, sir?"

  "I had no time to see that," Jim answered. "He disappeared into thewestern corridor almost as soon as I caught sight of him. At the sametime I heard the sound of a creaking hinge. What would you think ofthat?"

  "I should say that it was no ghost, sir," said Terence. "I've been toldthat this old house is full of secret passages, and, if you ask me, Ishould say it was somebody playing a game with you."

  Wilkins stared disdainfully at him. He was quite convinced in his ownmind of the ghostly nature of the mysterious visitor.

  "I am inclined to agree with you, Terence," Jim replied. "The more soas, since I parted with you, Wilkins, I have made a curious discovery.At what time was Miss Alice's room made tidy?"

  "While you were at dinner, sir, according to custom," replied thebutler. "I saw the maid coming out just as I left the dining-room, andshe would not be likely to leave it----"

  "To leave it in an untidy state?" Jim put in.

  "Of course she would not, sir," the other replied. "She would hear of itfrom the housekeeper if she did. No, she's a nice, steady girl, sir, andI'm told she does her work to the best of her ability."

  "Well, it seems curious that when I entered the room after you had leftme, I found it in a state of the wildest confusion. The contents of thedrawers of the dressing-table were lying scattered upon the floor, aswere the dresses in the wardrobe. Now I feel quite certain in my ownmind that it was from Miss Alice's bedroom that the figure I sawemerged. I am equally sure of one thing, and that is that it is noghost--at least," and he added this with a smile, "no respectable ghost,of course, would dream of playing such tricks with a lady's wearingapparel."

  "Then, sir, whom do you suspect?" Wilkins enquired. "I can assure youthat none of the staff would dare to take such a liberty."

  "I am quite sure of that," Jim replied. "Yet the fact remains thatsomebody must be, and is, responsible for it. Now what I intend to do isto lay myself out to capture that somebody, and to make an example ofhim when I have got him. For that reason, Terence, I am going to ask youto sleep in the house, in the room next to that occupied by Miss Alice.It will go hard, then, if between us we cannot lay our hands upon thegentleman, whoever he may be, who is playing these tricks upon us."

  Terence willingly agreed to the proposal, and that night occupied theroom in question. His watchfulness availed him nothing, however, for nofurther sign of the Black Dwarf.

  Next morning Robins received the photograph of Murbridge, and from thatmoment Jim awaited tidings from him in a fever of expectation. Day afterday, however, went by, and still no good news came to reward hispatience. The only consolation he derived was from sundry mysteriousinterviews which he had with Helen in a wooded corner of the park. Withthe cunning of lovers they had arranged a plan of meeting, and thoselittle _tete-a-tetes_ were to Jim as the breath of life. No sooner wasone at an end than he hungered for the next. But he was destined erelong to receive a fright, such as he had never received in his lifebefore. Winter was fast approaching, and the afternoons drew in quickly.When he reached the rendezvous on this occasion it was nearly fiveo'clock, and almost dark. Helen had arrived there before him, and hediscovered her pacing up and down the little glade, in what was plainlyan agitated frame of mind.

  "Oh, I am so thankful that you have come, Jim dear," she said, as shecame forward to greet him. "I have been counting the minutes until Ishould see you."

  "Why, what on earth is the matter?" he asked, placing his arm round herwaist and drawing her to him. "You are excited about something. Tell me,dear, what it is."

  "Something so dreadful that it has upset me terribly," she answered. "Iscarcely know how to tell you."

  He led her towards a fallen tree upon which they had often seatedthemselves on previous occasions.

  "Now let me know everything," he said.

  She looked about over her shoulder in a frightened way. Then she beganalmost in a whisper:

  "Jim, what I have to say to you concerns my grandfather. I am very muchalarmed about him."

  "I hope he has not been making himself disagreeable to you again on myaccount," Jim replied. Then he continued angrily: "If so, I think Ishall have to call upon him."

  "Hush, hush," she said, "do not speak so loud, you do not know who maybe listening."

  "I will be all discretion, dear, now go on!"

  "Well, this afternoon I was playing the piano in the drawing-room when amessage was brought to me by Isaac to the effect that my grandfatherdesired to see me in his study at once. I went to him there, to find himseated at his desk as usual, at work upon his book, the 'History of theCounty,' you know. He signed to me to be seated by the fire, and when Ihad done so resumed his writing, not putting down his pen until I hadbeen some minutes in the room. Then he looked at me with a verythoughtful face, in which I imagined I could detect an expression that Ihad never seen there before. Taken altogether, his manner frightened me.It was so strange, and so utterly unlike himself, that I did not knowwhat to think. Then he took off his spectacles, and laid them on thedesk before him, remarking as he did so, 'I am given to understand thatyou are still in correspondence with Mr. Standerton, Miss?' Then, beforeI could answer him, he continued--'and I hear that you have secretmeetings with him in the park. Is this so?' I admitted that it was, andwent on to say that as we were betrothed I could see no harm in it."

  "And what did he say to that?"

  "He rose from his chair and paced the room for a few minutes withoutspeaking. Then he reseated himself. As he did so he said, 'You are _not_engaged, and you know it as well as I do. Never let me hear you say sucha thing again.' After that he began to pace the room once more, andfinally hurled at me such a torrent of abuse that I was almost stupefiedby it. He accused me of the most outrageous things, until I could bearit no longer, and rose to leave him. By this time, as you may suppose, Ihad come to the conclusion that the life of retirement he had lived forso long had turned his brain. No man could have said the things he didwithout his mind being a little affected."

  "My darling, this is more serious than you suppose," said Jim anxiously.

  "But you have not heard the worst yet. It appears that before I hadentered the room he had drawn up a document which he now desired me tosign. It was to the effect that I would bind myself never to speak toyou or see you again, and contained my promise that I would abandon allthought of ever becoming your wife. 'Sign that,' he said, 'or theconsequences will be more terrible than you suppose. I am an old man,but remember even old men can be dangerous at times.' With that hehanded me a pen, but I refused to take it."

  "And then?"

  "I cannot tell you how he looked at me as I said it. I could never havebelieved that his face could have undergone such a change. But I stillrefused to sign the document, and at last he discovered that it wasimpossible to force me to do so. 'Very well,' he said, 'since yourefuse, the consequences of your action be upon your own head.' Withthat, opening the door, he bade me leave him. You can imagine foryourself how thankful I was to do so."

  "And then you came on here," said Jim. "You were most imprudent, dear.He may try to revenge himself upon you when you return to the house."

  "I don't think he will hurt me," she replied. "I am only afraid foryou."

  "There is no need for fear o
n my account," Jim answered, with a shortlaugh. "I do not think it is possible for the poor old gentleman to dome any harm. But the idea that you are shut up in the house with amadman, for a madman he must surely be, frightens me beyond all measure.You must see for yourself that you have no longer any reason to remainwith him. He has threatened you, and that will be sufficient excuse foryou to leave him."

  "No, no," she answered, shaking her head. "If he is losing his reason,he should not be blamed, and it is all the more necessary for hiscomfort that I shall remain with him. I feel sure I shall be quite safe.He is angry with me at present, but he will calm down. It is above allnecessary, however, that you should not come near him. It will onlyirritate him and make him more excited than before. Think how good hehas been to me, dear, for the past eight years, and try not to be angrywith him."

  "But I am not angry with him," said Jim. "I am only trying to be just.One thing is quite certain, I shall know no peace as long as you are inthat house with him."

  "Will it satisfy you if I give you my promise that, should he becomevery bad, I will at once send for you?"

  "If you persist on going back there, I suppose I must be content withthat promise," Jim replied, but with no good grace. "And now you hadbetter be running in. If he finds that you are out, he might supposethat you are with me, and have another paroxysm of rage. In that casethere is no knowing what might happen."

  Helen accordingly bade him good-bye and left him, returning by the pathto the Dower House. Jim watched her until she had disappeared and thenturned homeward with a heavy heart. He felt that he had already enoughanxiety upon his shoulders without this additional burden. He had nevertrusted Mr. Bursfield, but he was at a loss to understand his presentmalignity, unless it were to be accounted for by the fact that his brainhad given way.

  When he reached his home he let himself in by a side door, and made hisway to the drawing-room, where he found Alice.

  "How late you are," she said. "The gong sounded some time ago. You willscarcely have time to dress."

  "Then dinner must wait," replied Jim. "Alice, I have bad news for you."

  "Why, what is the matter now?" she asked.

  Jim thereupon proceeded to furnish her with an abstract of his interviewwith Helen. She heard him without a word, but it was to be easily seenhow distressed she was for her friend.

  "My dear Jim," she remarked when he had finished, "this is indeedserious. What do you propose doing?"

  "I scarcely know," Jim answered. "The case is an extremely delicate one.The old man has taken a decided dislike to me, and if I interferebetween Helen and himself it will have the effect of adding to his wrathand do more harm than good. And yet I cannot allow her to remain there,and perhaps run a daily risk of her life."

  "What does she think about it herself?"

  "She has an absurd notion that her duty lies in standing by Bursfield inhis trouble. That, of course, is all very well in its way, but no onecould possibly expect her to turn herself into a keeper for a madman."

  Alice, seeing the tired look on his face, crossed the room and placedher arm round his neck.

  "Dear old Jim," she said, "you must not worry yourself too much aboutit. All will come right in the end. Helen is a girl of very markedcharacter, and it is quite probable that, under her influence, Mr.Bursfield's condition may improve. Were I in your place, I should trustmatters to her for a little while. You know that she loves you, and youmay be quite sure that she will keep her promise, and let you knowdirectly anything is very wrong. But there! what am I thinking about? Ishould have told you when you first came in that there is a telegramwaiting for you. Here it is."

  As she spoke she took an envelope from the mantelpiece, and handed it tohim.

  "I wonder who it is from?" he remarked as he tore it open.

  Having withdrawn the contents, he read as follows:--

  "Standerton, Childerbridge.

  "Murbridge found. Come at once.

  "13, Upper Bellington Street. ROBINS."