Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-12

Miss Octavia's room. was somewhat
annoyed to find. on looking over my
shoulder to make sure Of her destination,
that she. too. had paused, her hand on
Miss Octavia's door, and was watching
me with interest. She vanished immedi-
ately. but to throw her of the track
went to my own room. closed the door
noisily. and then came out quickly and
ran up to the third floor.
Bassford HOLSTERS mysterious exit had
fingered in my mind as the most curious
incident of the eventful Friday night.
Having been baffled in my effort to get
hold of the architects plans. my thought
now was to await in the upper part OF
the house a repetition of the various phe-
nomena that had SO puzzled me. BY the
process OF exclusion / had eliminated
nearly every plausible theory. but II the
ghost manifested himself with any sort
of periodicity land the hour Of the CHM
ney's queer behavior had been nine) I
was now prepared to meet him In the
regions he had chosen for his EXPLOITS
When it is remembered that / had al
ways been most timorous. not at all anX-
ious to shine in any heroic perform
ances. 1t will be understood that the at
mosphere of Hopef1eld Manor was exert
ing a stimulating effect upon my courage.
Or. more likely. my inherent cowardice
curiosity.
had pretty accurate knowledge by
this time OF the position and function or
all the electric switches between the
lower hall and the fourth floor. but j
tested them as I assembled, glancfng down
now and then to make sure ] was not OBJ
served From the sound OF voices in the
library l judged that most of Cecilia's
suitors must now have arrived. and SO
much the better. I argued. for with Miss
~ o,,I 1.N,. III F,,1l
could the better carry on my ghost hunt
above stairs.
At a quarter before switched off the
lights on the third and fourth floors and
established myself at the. head of the
stairway, and quite near the trunkroOm
door. This door had opened. as I fan
cied that IL BassfOrd HOLSTER were at
the bottom Of the business he would
probably wish to find his way to the roof
again. So far as l was able to manage
it, the stage was in readiness for the
entrance OF the goblin. And l may re-
cord my impression. that as we wait Tor
a visitation of this sort, 1t Is with
degree OF credence in things supernatural.
to which we would not ordinarily con-
fess. In spite of ourselves We expect
something to appear. something unearth-
ly, impalpable and unresponsive to those
tests we apply to the known and under
stood.
The clock below struck nine upon these
meditations. and almost upon the last
stroke heard q sound that set my
nerves tingling. l crouched in the dark
waiting. Some one was coming toward
me. but from where? The bottom OF
we'll at midnight was not blacker than
the fourth floor. but the switch lay ready
to my hand, and my pockets were stuffed
with matches of the sort that light any
where. The stairways were all carpeted.
as I have said, and yet some one was
ascending bare treads. lightly. and with
delays that suggested a furtive purpose
Meanwhile, as a background for this I'M
reality, murlnurs OF talk and occasional
laughter rose from the library.
This concealed stairway. wherever 1t
was, could not be of interminable length,
and I had counted. think, fifteen steps
OF that strange ascent when IT ceased. l
heard a fumbling as Of some one seeking
a latch, and suddenly q light current OF
air swept by me. but its clean. fresh
quality was not in itself disturbing.
stopped and struck q match smartly on
the carpet and at the same time clicked
the switch. 1 should say that not more
than ten seconds passed from the mo-
ment the soft rush Of air had first adj
vertised the opening of passage near
me until the hall was flooded with the
glow Of the electric lamps overhead. MY
match had also performed its ONCE, but
finding the electric current behaving it
self normally. I blew it out. What /
saw now interested me immensely.
In the solid wall. near the stair and
almost directly opposite the trunkroom
a narrow door had swung outward-a
neat continuance. SO light In Its construc-
ton that it still swayed on its concealed
hinges from the touch Of the hand that
had released 1t. How 1t had opened or
what had become Of the prowler who had
unattached it remained to be discovered.
1t seemed impossible that whoever or
whatever had climbed the hidden stair
way had descended. nor had been con-
scious OF a ghostiy passing as on the
previous night. / had only my senses to
apply to this problem, and their efficiency
was minimized for a moment by fear.
The opening in the wall engaged my at
tention at once, and was steadied
by the thought that here was a practical
matter susceptible OF investigation. /
stepped within the door and lighted q
candle and just as the wick caught fire,
click went a switch somewhere and out
went the hall lamps. But having. SO to
speak, put my foot to the mysterious
stair 1 would not turn back, and con-
tinued on down the steps.
Great was my astonishmept TO find
that ] had apparently stepped from
new into an old house. The stair treads
were worn by long use. the plaster walls
that inclosed them were battered and
cracked. and I seemed to have plunged
from the glory of Hopefield into some
dim. lost passage Of a domicile of an
other era, that lay within or beneath the
walls Of the Manor AS l slowly de-
seconded, holding high my candle, I re-
called. not without a aualm, the story OF
the British soldier whom tradition or
superstition linked to the site OF Miss
HOLSTERS property. This stairway might
certainly have been built in the early
days of the republic, and it refuted my
disdain Of the ghost myth on the theory
that new houses are inhospitable to
spirits.
At the foot OF the stair I found two
rooms one on either side OF q small hall,
and these, also. were clearly part OF an
old house that seemed to be somehow
merged into the HOLSTER mansion. l re-
membered now that the mansion stood
wedged against a rough spur of rock, and
that the front and rear entrances were
upon different levels. and it was con-
ceivable that the back part Of the man.
sion might inclose these rooms OF an
earlier house that had occupied the same
site: why they should have been retained
was beyond me.
Through the carefully preserved win
dows, many paned and quaint, Of these
hidden rooms. the enfolding walls OF the
new house were blank and black. An
odd thing, indeed. that Pepperton should
have lent himself to the preservation OF
a commonplace and thoroughly uninter-
esting relic. for beyond doubt he must
have countenanced it; and Miss HOLSTERS
prompt removal Of the plans from the
architects ONCE became more enigmatical
than ever.
One door only remained in this shell OF
the old house, and 1 FASTENED to fling it
open, still lighting my way with q candle.
Before me lay the coal cellar. at which
I had merely glanced on the morning
after my installation at HOpefeld. I now
began to get my bearings. l remembered
two iron lids in the cemented surface of