The Argosy — page 345: what you’re looking at

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

326 The Mysteries of Heron Dyke. Katherine must be in the house, dead or alive; she says that. Good- evening, and thank you, and I’m sorry I startled you.” She walked away at a swift pace. Eliza looked after her for a moment, and then ran home shivering, not daring to glance to the right or to the left. When the last fine days of autumn were over and the cold weather was fairly set in, Squire Denison had ceased to drive out in his brougham, and was seen no more beyond the suite of rooms that were set apart for his personal use. Early in November his lawyer, Mr. Daventry, was sent for, and recelved certain final instructions respecting his will. About the same time a fresh inmate came to Heron Dyke and took up her abode there for the time being. The person in question was a certain Mrs. Dexter, a professional nurse, who had been sent for from London by Dr. Jago’s express desire. She was a plain- looking middle-aged woman, whose manners and address were superior to her station in life. A woman of few words, she seldom spoke except when someone put a question to her. She went quietly and deftly about her duties and employed all her spare time in reading. A sitting-room was allotted her next Mr. Denison’s, and she never mixed with the servants. No one at the Hall, unless it was Hubert Stone, knew that Mrs. Dexter was an elder sister of Dr. Jago’s wife. It might be that the treatment pursued by that undoubtedly clever practitioner, and which at present seemed to succeed, was of too hazardous a nature to be entrusted to, or witnessed by, an ordinary nurse. Then came another movement. Within a few days of Mrs. Dexter's arrival at the Hall, the carpenter, Shalders, was sent for from Nulling- ton. Receiving his orders, he proceeded to put up two doors covered with green baize, one in each of the corridors leading to Mr. Denison’s rooms. ‘The household wondered much; the neighbourhood talked ; for Shalders had a tongue, and did not keep the measure a secret. It was to ensure himself more quiet that the Squire had had it done, said Shalders. Day and night these doors were kept locked. Four people only, each of whom had a pass-key, were allowed to penetrate beyond them: Dr. Jago, Mrs. Dexter, Aaron Stone, and Hubert. Anything that took place on the other side of those mysterious doors was as little known to the rest of the inmates of the Hall as if they had been a hundred miles away. In Nullington, people could not cease wondering about these baize-covered doors, and were gene- rally of opinion that Squire Denison was growing more crazy than ever. Ella never failed to write to her uncle once a week, and once a week the Squire dictated to Hubert a few lines of reply. In these notes he always told her his health was improving; that he grew better and stronger. For weeksafter he had ceased to leave his own COMIC MOO;KS, (E00) m