Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-07-25

and fully accounted for the name whicl
the room had received. | fingered in it
however, longer than l had in the bi
drawing room, chiefly because TIN
shelves contained books.
Had anything be ter offered | nigh
not have continued ny explorations blu
not seeing exactly how | could pas
away the time any better l chose out
another key and began to search for the
flower parlor. l found it beyond the
dining room in the same hall as the
dark parlor.
TWAS as I might have expected from
the name, the brightest and most cheer
full spot | had yet found in the whole
house. The air i'll it was even good, us
if sunshine and breeze had not been en-
tirely denied it, yet had no sooner tax
Ell one look at its flower painted walls
and pretty furniture than l felt an OPP
preston l could not account for. Some
thing was wrong about this room. | am
not superstitious and l do not believe
one particle in premonitions, but. once
seized by conviction l have never
known myself to be mistaken as to its
import. Something was wrong about
find out.
/ Letting in more light, took closer
survey of the objects | had but dimly
seen at first. They We're many and some
what contradictory in their character.
The floor was bare-the first bare floor |
had come upon-but the shades in the
windows, the chintz covered lounges
drawn up beside tables bestrcwn with
books and other objects of comfort if not
luxury bespoke place i'll common if
not everyday use.
A faint smell of tobacco told whose
use, and from the minute | recognized
that this was Williams sanctum my
curiosity grew unbounded and | neglect
ed nothing which would be likely to at
tract the keenest eyed detective i'll Mr.
Gryce's force. And there We're several
things there to denoted: First, that this
numbering lout of man read, but only
on one topic - vivisection; secondly,
that he was not reader merely, for
there were instruments in the cases
bSti pli tiit NV anu
in one corner-I felt little sick, but |
persevered in searching ont the corners
"a glass case with certain horrors in it
which took care to note, but which it
is not necessary for me to describe. An
other corner was blocked up by closet
which stood out i'll the room i'll way
to convince me it had been built in aft
= ,.,, ca, A.
l crossed over to examine the door,
which did not appear to me to be quite
closed, | noticed on the floor at my feet
a huge discoloration This was the
worst thing had seen yet, and while |
did not feel quite justified i'll giving it
name l could not but feel some regret
for the worm eaten rags of the drawing
room, which, after all, are more COM
Portable things TO have underfoot than
bare boards with such suggestive marks .
upon them as these,
The door to the closet was, as / had .
expected, slightly ajar, Il fact for which .
l was profoundly grateful, for, set it
down to breeding or Il natural recogni- .
ton of others rights, l would have
found it most difficult to turn the knob
of a closet door inspection of which
had not been offered me.
But finding it open l gave it just
little pull and found Well, it was
more than the sight of
q skeleton would have been-that the
whole interior was taken up by a small
circular staircase such as you find in
public libraries where the books are
piled up in tiers. 1t stretched from the
floor where l stood to the ceiling, and
dark as it was l thought detected the
outlines of IA trapdoor by means of which
was established with
the room above Anxious to be con.
vinced of this, l asked what a detective
would do in my place. The answer came
readily enough. "Mount the stairs and
feel for yourself whether there is lock
there. - But my delicacy-or shall | ac
it for once?-an instinct of
seemed to restrain me, till
of Mr.. Gryces sarcastic
ook which | had seen honoring lesser
occasions than these came to nerve me-
md l put foot on tse stairs which had
asst been trod-by whom shall l say:
William? Let us hope by William, and
William only.
Being tall, had to mount but a few
teps before reaching the ceiling. Paus-
ng for breath, for the air was close and
he stairs steep, l reached up and felt
or the hinge or clasp l had every rea-
on to expect to encounter, | found the
after almost at once, and satisfied now
hat nothing but n board separated me
rom the room above, | tried that board
With my finger and was astonished to
eel it yield AS this was discovery .
Wholly unexpected l drew back and :
sked myself if it would be wise to pur-
ne it to the point of raising this door, !,
nd had hardly settled the question !.
Nth myself when the sound of voice
aised in a soothing murmur revealed :
be fact that the room above was not :
mpty and that would be committing
ne greatest indiscretion in thus tam .
ering with means of entrance posi- ..
ly under the very eye of the person 1.
oeaking.
If the voice l had heard had been all
lat had come to my ears, l might have ' '
entured after a moment of hesitation :
, brave the displeasure of Miss Knollys :
Y a venture which would have at once a
ltisfied me as to the correctness of the =
lspicions which were congealing my :
7 =, l,,&