Litchfield enquirer., 1881-01-27
6 .ns ys6szHdr
WHOLE NO. 2904

ing me from the house, as other tenants had
 been driven before. ..- st
 Like his namesake in ''Rob Roy" the old gardener, Andrew, was not very good keep l CT of secrets; hence it was proposed that the l joiner and blacksmith should take him along 1 with them to the village, and keep him under surveillance till the evening. was glad when
 saw them all out of the place, without so far as knew, being seen by any one; and still more glad when the syah shortly after ward returned with the children, as could not help feeling timOrous alone in the house by myself, considering what we had discover ed and especially what we had failed to dis cover, namely, how the person playing the ghost could obtain access to the different parts of the house 90 freely as report represented, and as had myself in one instance painfully experienced. ,4 s....... .. ...-' " rs2agssaq CHAPTER III r Unlike her usual practice, Mrs weevil did not return to the house that day till far on in the afternoon and after she had entered her
 rooms could hear her 3ustling about with an activity and noise unprecedented in my expe- rienCe of her habits. This rather alarmed nle. was afraid she had suspected, from the ap- | pearance of her rooms, notwithstanding our care in removing all traces of our presence, that someone had been there in her absence and this might be sufficient to defeat any hopes l of bringing to light the trickery that had been l 80 long and 80 systematically practiced. But l was still more astonished when, about an hour after her return, she sent message to | nIe by the ayah that she wished to speak with me. if would grant her an interview. At first scarcely knew what answer to make. Were to refuse to see her, this might com- | plete the suspicion which she perhaps euter- l tained any if did see her, was afraid that l might by some word or look betray the knowledge of which had become possessed. l thought upon the whole had better see her and answered accordingly. .-
 As she entered the room with basket on her arm, she dropped courtesy and from the flow of words with which she at once opened the conversation. she seemed to put on frankness of manner which had not before observed in any slight intercourse l had had with her.
 ''Yes ma'am," she went on, 'sI were iust a. comin' ma'am, to say as would be goin' from the 'ouse for few days my son, as is stew ard to Lord B., being took very badly last night, ma'am; and as he have no one to wait upon him, it holds as l, ma'am, as his mother, must do my dooty-yes, man."
 All this she said without once stopping to take breath; and l could not help observIng that she was slightly Hurried in my presence, and seemed to keep talking as much to hide her uneasiness as to enlighten me regarding her errand. said was very sorry to hear that her son was ill, and that it was very proper she should, in the circumstances, attend-to him. 'But," Iasked, has he DO servant in the house?" st-. .r .t. .i....g
 Not presently, ma'am," she answered; ''leastways, the 'ouse-maid have gone away over to Crookford for 8 few days to see her mother, who stays there, ma'am-yes, ma am;" and she courtesied again iu the ex- cess of her civility, ...... After had dismissed her did not know what to think. This was an interference with my plans On which 1 had not counted had no one to advise with ue, and felt much per plexed. AS evening approached. and the gloom of twilight, had strange, nervous feeling, such as had only once before experienced, and that was in India during the terrible days when the niutiny was at it's height, and every footfall made us start as if the next moment were to be our last. As the dusk deepened, my anxiety increased: and when at length the ayah conducted the joiner, as had before instructed her, to my ruOm, l was almost too overpowered to speak. Andrew and the blacksmith were for the time detained in the kitchen, as 1 wished to talk the matter over with the joiner, as the most intelligent of the three.
 
 fnd a second person behind him, whom he in- troduced to me as MT Burrows, the district h. spect0r of police, who had been on an official visit to the village that day, and who, when he heard the story, volunteered his services in place of the constable. His presence at once gave me great relief and this was enhanced when found he had had long experience in the London detective force, and was entering with the enthusiasm of his profession into our plans. He had heard already from the joiner what had passed that day complmented me highly on the presence of mind had display ed on the previous evening, and expressed his acquiescence in everything that we had since done. .- ,....... -.r...
 When, however, l mentioned to him my un- expected interview that afternoon with Mrs. Weevil, and that she had left the house. he was good deal taken aback. He questioned me closely AS to her manner and appearance when she was in my room, and as to whether she seemed much affected by her sons illness. answered his several questions to the best of my ability aud he, after thinking awhile, pacing up and down the rOOm, turned to me and said
 ''Let everything be carried out as you for merly proposed. See that your family retire to rest at their usual time, and with as little appearance as possible of anything unusual g6ng on. If the woman has taken alarm, nothing will be lost by waiting till tomorrow. when her rooms can be more carefully ex- amined by daylight. In the first place, will you show me the bedroom in which you were disturbed last night5" .ts,&
 l conducted him thither. the joiner follow ing; and after he had sscertained where, to use his own expression, had first seen the party, and where and how the party had dis appeared, he at once intimated his plans. He said was to retire to my room as usual, seat myself in my chair by the ire as on the pre- vious evening, and either sleep or appear to sleep, as was most agreeable to myself. Be- yond the window stood a large wardrobe, in which, after the house was all quiet, he and the joiner would conceal themselves, the blacksmith and the gardener being set as a guard upon the door of the housekeeper's room below The village constable, he had arranged would keep watch on the outside of the house, but so as not to be readily dis covered .,st" ta}if} -ia@ .-'il fs - 'Fl'
 The duties of the household, in the absence of my servants, fell somewhat heavily on the ayahl and myself, and the time passed quickly for me as. l hustled about, seeing the children put to bed, after which the ayah also retired. During all this time, everything had been car- ried on in our customary, way. Mir. Burrowes and the rest of his helpers betOok themselves for the. time to distant apartment up stairs, 0uu tue nouse nau steSOunueu all the evening with the mingled sounds of laughter and noise inseparable from large family of children such as ours, But now all was silent. the men had dipped quietly to their different posts; Mir. Burrows and the joiner were, knew, in the wardrobe at the other end of my bedroom; and was seated in my lounging- chair, as on the previous evening. 5-,.-'..-
 As sat in thls position thinking, could not help observing to myself how near we were all making ourselves ridiculous. The old woman whom l had suspected was out of the house; no one else but the ordinary mem bers of the household and the watchers could possibly be in it; and here was 1, sitting al my bedroom lire, making believe to sleep. with two men concealed in the wardrobe, all hop ing to catch--we did not know what. The humor Ot the situation so strongly affected tme at one time that could scarcely refrain fro.I hi,Estis,G inta ia,,xhta. l..t