The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 1 — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

32 anyway,” he added pleasantly. door?- This one? Open it!” His steel fingers wound about the but- ler’s arm suggestively. Somebody’s ser- vant, with more energy than he had hith- erto displayed, turned the knob and pushed back the door. In the lighted room Helen Catterson rose from her chair and looked vacantly at them. “Get out!’? Dr. Bowen said briefly as he swung the man aside. The butler, evidently, was of the rea- soning sort that knows when to quit. His hand upon his throat, he looked at Dr. Bowen for an instant and then backed off; and the door closed in his face as Dr. Jim noted with huge relief that the girl ’ seemed quite as he had seen her last. She had been weeping in the causeless fashion that might have been expected; her handkerchief was rolled into a little ball in her palm. But that phase had passed now, and she even smiled vaguely at her alleged protector as he led her, unresisting, back to her chair and drew another to her side. Was it credible that she had simply been up here all this time, sitting alone? There seemed nothing else to assume. And what crazy kind of establishment was it that had admitted her.even without a ring at the door and—but he had deferred hunting for the answer, had he not? Dr. Bowen in his gentlest voice said: ‘Have you been here all alone?’ ‘“‘ Been here,” the girl repeated blankly. “ T want—I want—what do I want?” The helpless smile rested steadily on him. “Fhe box? Did you find the box?” Dr. Jim suggested. “No! The box—that was it—the box!” the girl cried, with that same sud- den flash of understanding. “It isn’t here.” “You’ve remembered where it is?” asked Dr. Jim. ‘‘ Ves, I—I know now!” she said quick- ly, earnestly: “I want to go there and find the box.” “ Can’t you tell me where it is?”’ “Which THE ARGOSY. “ No, I—want to go there!” the girl persisted. “ I want to go myself and find it. Can’t we go?” Momentarily Dr. Jim was quite ab- sorbed in the study of her. It seemed downright unbelievable that the girl was mentally affected; there was not visible a single minor indication such as a year’s derangement should have left for the practised eye to find. Had it been a new hysterical affection of some sort, he could have understood well enough, but—vwell, - he had never wandered far into the neu- rological mysteries. ad ‘* We can go, if you will let me accom- pany you,” he said. “Oh, yes,” the girl answered, smiling mild astonishment. “ Why not? Can we go at once, please? I want to go to—to the box. I—know now!” She rose again, impatiently, and picked up the hat and coat which were lying on the covered toilet table. Dr. Bowen, wise- ly silent, assisted her with the coat, and she thanked him in the most rational fashion and moved toward the stairs. Silently still, since a chance word was likely enough to upset the delicate bal- ance, the doctor kept closely to her as she descended—and just then they were face to face with the butler, standing with his back to the front door. “Open it!” Dr. Bowen commanded in a whisper. “Tm sorry, sir—upon my soul, I am! —but I can’t, sir. I haven’t the key, doctor.” ac Who has?” ““ Another party, sir, and I can’t get it —not if you kill me!” Miss Catterson’s smile had disappeared and she was looking wonderingly from one to the other. Dr. Jim breathed hard. “Is there a back door?” he asked. ‘““ Down-stairs, sir, and straight through, but—” He was still speaking when Dr. Bowen — turned the girl and walked her down the corridor and-to the stairs. There would be a front door G@gwn there, too, for that matter, and if onegf them failed the other Comichbooks Cor