Argosy, Vol. 112, No. 2 — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

EVERYTHING BUT THE TRUTH. nobody around this morning. I’m going to look about in there for a minute, but you needn’t come.” Mrs. Elton shuddered. “T don’t want to be left alone,” she murmured dubiously, and stepped in with him. With freedom granted so unexpectedly, of course, matters of gravest concern were calling to William, many miles from there. Yet with last night’s office work all un- touched, the worst was fairly certain to happen in any case and ten minutes one way or the other could not make much difference to the Hervey Manufacturing Company. Nay, the utter strangeness of the whole affair was growing upon William so mark- edly that, for a little, he quite forgot the company in his eagerness to find the an- ‘swer! Not that he might not find the answer all too suddenly, should one of these doors open and another strait-jacket appear—yet some odd and unsubstantiated little instinct assured William that the risk was very small. Quite boldly, he opened the door of Dr. Baiswell’s vast and gloomy office. It was empty. The shades were drawn down uniformly. The dust of past ages floated upon the air. Over the desk was spread an unlovely stretch of grimy crash; on the big chairs dingy slip-covers had appeared; even the waste-basket, which last night had been half-filled with torn papers, was entirely empty now. William looked blankly at his fellow sufferer. ‘““Can—can you beat that?” he gasped. “ Tt—it can’t be so!”’ Mrs. Elton faltered, somewhat illogically. “ I mean, a doctor couldn’t leave his—his lunatic asylum like that! All the other patients—” “That’s right, too! What about the other patients?” cried William. ‘“ Maybe he left their doors unlocked, too, while they were asleep! Maybe they all escaped be- fore we woke up!” . “ Maybe everybody’s gone!” “We're in a risky place if they’re not!” grinned William. “Oh, but I hope they’re not! “hat woman nurse is here or—”’ “What?” I hope 221 ‘Well, of course I do!’’ Mrs. Elton cried, and reddened. ‘‘ Don’t you understand? I’ve been—been gone all night and I want somebody who can tell Jackie that I—” “Yes, I understand,” William hastily, and the new angle sent a small chill through him. ~“She’s around, of course. We’ll find her and make sure of where we can reach her later on.” ‘Yes, if she doesn’t lock us up again when she sees us!”’ William pursed his lips pensively and nodded. “I don’t think they care about locking us up this morning, somehow. Last night we couldn’t breathe without bringing a crowd. This morning they’ll let us knock down the house without even coming to look and— well, let’s go on investigating, anyway. The door’s always wide open behind us and we're young and active.” He led the way across the foyer, to open a drawing-room door. His eyebrows went up. This room, at least, had not been opened in many months; very visible dust was thick everywhere. Possibly the pa- tients did little entertaining. He shook his head and tried another, which chanced to be the entrance to the dining-room—and once more they found shades drawn well down, chairs long neglected ranged soberly around the wall, a dingy film on the glass doors of the two closets! ‘IT don’t believe a meal’s been eaten in there in ten years!” he muttered. Behind them lay the stairway, wide and dark and silent. Together and briskly, be- Cause curiosity was livening in Mrs. Elton as well, they mounted again to the upper floor. They listened intently—to nothing at all. “You stay right here, where getting away is easier,” advised William Hervey. “T’m going to talk it over with some of the other victims.” Boldly, he opened a bedroom door and stepped inside; he emerged and opened the next, repeating the performance. Nine times, indeed, did William open doors up there, enter, pause and again emerge. Then he was beside Annabel again with: “Tl bet my last dollar that not one of those beds has been occupied in over a GOmicbooks said. Eom