The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1933-10-05
Chapter Is
TRIAL BY WATER

tttAI . w ~
VXIHEN the rest of the house had
settled into darkness and sill
ence, Nesta Riddell still sat on in the
parlor. She sat leaning forward with
her cheek propped on her hand and
her eyes fixed.
1t was being difficult he was be-
ing difficult. Would he be any easier
if she waited? Or was her best
chance now, before he had got back
his strength? Everything in her said
now. She hadn't risked so much and
come so far to lose everything for
the want of little pluck.
The emeralds were half hers. She
had risked as much for them as
Jimmy had. If Van Berg died, they'd
bring her in accessory after the fact.
She'd risked that. and she wasn't
going to be done out of her price,
not much she wasn't. She'd have her
share of those emeralds whatever
she had to do to get it.
1t was long time now since the
footsteps overhead had ceased. For
little while there had been the
faint whisper of voices, but it was a
long time since they too had died
away.
She wondered If there was any,
thing in that stunt of old Caroline
Busselps. 1t was whispered in the
village that Caroline knew a good
many things that she hadn't any
right to know. People in Packham
said she had hold over Mr.. Emf
whistle and could do what she liked
with him.
Suppose she had tried this stunt
OF hers on him. Suppose she had
gone into his room at the dead hour
of the night, the hour between mid
night and the first hour Of the day,
Slipping in on her stocking feet with
a bowl of water in her hand. You'd
have to tread like a cat and keep
yourself almost from breathing SO
as to know by the breathing of the
sleeping man whether he were deep
enough asleep. Old Caroline always
walked quietly.
She gave you the creeps in broad
daylight the way she'd come on you
without the least sound, with her
neat upright figure and her prfm
starched collar, her face that always
put Nesta in mind of plump Toured
scone, and her brown front that
never had hair out OF place. There
1t was all nonsense, and creepy
nonsense at that. Only, il a man
could be got to talk like that in the
dead of night with no power to hold
anything back -.
She sprang up suddenly and
looked at the clock between the
china cherubs. The hands stood at
half past twelve. Nesta kept her
eyes fixed on them for a moment.
Then with jerk of the shoulders
she stopped, undid her shoes, and,
stepping out Of them, went to the
door and opened it. W
There was no light in the passage
or on the upper landing. The limo
leum was cold under her feet as she
went through into the kitchen and
switched on the bulb in the ceiling.
NGIN'S big mixing, bowl would be.
~ about the right size. She
reached it down off the china shelf
and filed it half way at the tap. The
water had to be cold-that was what
old Caroline said. But how cold
would 1t have to be? You could call
anything cold water so long at 1t
came out of the cold water tap.
This wasn't very cold-no bite In
it SO to speak. Perhaps a drain out
of the hot water tap wouldn't do it
any harm. She let In a little and
dipped her hand into the bowl.
Would that wake you up If you were
asleep? Not if you were really fast.
Was 1t near enough cold to do the
trick? You couldn't tell that till you
tried; and it was long odds that 1t
was nothing hut a mack of rubbish
In her heart of hearts Nesta did
not believe that it was rubbish.
At the kitchen door she hesitated,
and then put out the light. Now the
house was all dark and silent with
the warm, breathing silence of
sleep. Even the newest and rawest
Of houses is a haunted house in the
dead Of night. The bodies Of those