Adventure, June 1911 — page 130: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

She was obliged to come back to him: “No, sir, he has gone to the meet.” ‘And you are sure you have no key that would unlock the door?”’ “T know my own keys, sir.”’ He shifted his ground: ‘‘ Well, is there no other member of the family P= He absently played with several gold coins in one palm. ““There’s only Miss Elizabeth, sir; she’s in the garden. But I couldn’t trouble her = The American’s face suddenly twinkled: “See here, my good woman, if you’ll kindly get the young lady to step up here, I’ll bet you fifty dollars—that’s ten pounds—she’ll find a way to let me into that room! And if she doesn’t, you shall have the fifty any- way.. So you stand to win in either case.” If Mrs. Green thought she was dealing with a madman, the two notes that he held out to her vouched for a degree of sanity. Besides, she reflected, she ran no risk except of Miss Elizabeth’s anger. The young lady knew no more than herself where the key of the room was kept—if indeed it had not been lost before any of them was born. She pressed a button in the wall, and to the footman who appeared gave the brief direction that he should look for Miss Elizabeth in the garden and ask her whether she would be so kind as to come to the house a moment. She then conducted the persistent in- truder back to the entrance-hall, and with him awaited her lady’s pleasure. He was especially interested in a full- length portrait that hung over the chimney- piece. “That was the first Sir Charles,” she told him, “‘ who founded the fortune of the family and built the house in the days of Queen Elizabeth.”’. | “Ts it allowable to ask how he obtained the money?” asked the American, with a curious, dry smile. “In the wars against Spain,’’ she an- swered curtly. “Indeed? And the present Sir Charles— - any resemblance?”’ “Sir Charles is clean-shaven.” Only the promise of the two five-pound notes kept her civil. He moved to the next portrait: “And the red-haired young lady dipped in pearls is the founder’s daughter?” “His wife,” began the housekeeper, but was interrupted by a fresh voice, asking Adventure haughtily: “Did you wish to see me?” He turned to face a pretty girl in white linen, not so unlike the portrait he had been studying. ‘“‘Miss Selward?”’ He bowed and handed her a card upon which she read the name Ramon Stanley, and a New York address. “‘T must plead a desire to see your secret chamber—not due, as you might suppose, to idle curiosity.” He paused and began again, with his curious smile, “What should you say if I were to tell you exactly what is, in that roome”’ SHE looked at him with some slight | interest: ‘‘Cobwebs, I should say. ‘ How do you know? I never was in it myself and I don’t know what’s there— do you, Green?” -“No,madam,” said the housekeeper, but I have heard my grandfather tell as how it was haunted.. He used to say as your grandmother, Lady Maria, was the last as ever entered the room. What she saw nobody ever knew, but she came out scream: ing and was took with convulsions and died within the day. It hasn’t been unlocked in my time—not to my knowledge.” “Do you know whether there is a key?” asked Miss Elizabeth, with, evident curios- ity; and as Mrs. Green shook her head, she turned to the stranger: ‘‘At least, I should be interested to hear you tell what you think there is in the room.” “T don’t think,” saidhe. “I know, alniost as well as if I’d seen ’em. I may be wrong in a few details. There’s a big round table covered with gilt and embossed leather, supported by three lions of painted leather.” “‘Leather!”’ exclaimed the girl. “And lions!”’ gasped the housekeeper. “Over this should be hanging seven lamps —also of leather—representing the Seven Deadly Sins; if they were lighted, the flame would come out of the mouth of each——”’ The girl was wide-eyed now and Mrs. Green dumb with amazement. “On the table,” he pursued calmly, ‘‘is a big wine flagon built like a Spanish galleon of the Armada—also of leather. And a dozen—there should be a dozen—tankards shaped and painted like grinning faces, with pointed hats for their covers.”’ “Still of leather?’ asked Miss Selward. “All of leather,” said he. ‘‘And round the table are leather chairs, a dozen of them, shaped and painted to look like men, so that ' Co dO) ANIC SoCO)