Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1934-12-13
CHAPTER III-Continued

s.
Arthur rested on his oars a moment
and gazed back at the vast pile of
the old academy. THAT comes in
very pat with the conversation l over.
heard. believe those four wax fig
ures are the crux of the whole mys.
terry. Do you believe his story about
Miss BracebridgeY
1T sounds reasonable enough. And
she is certainly like her fathers DOR
trait; in fact, she reminds me-ah, l
know. She is like the four wax fig.
ures-startlingly like them; it's a curl
GUS beauty; almost shy and elusive.
"You said the girl figures were beau
tiful."
"Quite lovely"
"Didn't Haskell say there were FIVE
children"
ayes"
"She is the only remaining one-per-
haps. He saidl many deaths
yes. many deaths?"
"But II he is afraid of Them" she
queried, "why not have them out Of
the way"
"Do you think he is actually afraid
Of them-or Of an idea back Of them?"
She unused on this. "How could
there be an idea about them?"
~ should like to see them closer.
We're they well nader
"Startlingly well made; the work of
genuine artist. should say. The
faces of the two young girls were
very lovely; sweet, frustrated faces.
II one can speak so of wax figure
the young boys are handsome fellows
-veryl If they came to life! Why,
what is the matter?"
His arm had jerked an oar until the
boat fairly spun round. He laughed
nervously. II suppose that great bar
rack of building has made me
tumpy; but l thought | saw a face
down therein the lake" He pointed
to the dark surface covering incalcul-
able depths. 1T seemed rising up to
meet me, as drowned faces rise. There
the foolish fancy is over! I'm sorry /
jerked the boat Please don't think
me superstitious
II don't. Whatever do you gather
from this note?"
THAT he has a secret enemy In the
establishment, who wants to warn us
against something"
Against what?"
He gazed at her solemnly. II think
we are in danger of no ordinary kind.
I've followed the advertisements of edu-
cational institutions for several years
and I've forgotten nearly all of them
because they rang true You knew in
reading them that their achievements
were a matter of open and honorable
history. Any parent or guardian could
feel reasonably satisfied that he was
on the right track; but Haskell's ad-
vertisement stood out startlingly
From the first 1t seemed strange to me
But because he wanted teachers, not
pupils, I answered it."
They made their way with some diff.
ficulty up the magnificent bed Of the
creek. Here and there a mountain
giant of pine fallen into the stream
created barrage that made a NINA.
ture falls and wild eddies in which the
red leaves whirled. Afar off they
heard steady roaring which they
knew must proceed from the great
fall. Janet came on after him, sure.
footed and graceful.
BE careful" he warned her. 1.-THE
stream is not very deep, but the cur.
rent is terrific. 1t would sweep you
Off your feet In an instant Don't gel
too close"
A well-defned little footpath skirted
the stream between its wild waters
and the great immobile rocks. The
ravine narrowed steadily. the cliffs ris.
Ing higher and higher and drawing
closer together until they seemed al.
most ready to close out the sky. Then
the cliffs departed from their straight
line. became concave, forming a vast
aperture something Of an ellipse In
shape. At its further end a sheet oil
water. thick and straight as a section
Of Niagara, dropped sheer two hun.
dred feet from an out-juttlng rock and
with wild roar filled a funnel-shaped
aperture at the foot Of the cliff with
4 mad whirl of water.
"How lovelyl How terrify!ngr'
"Even nature is terrifying in this
'egion. Oh. don't go too near"
She had gone lightly on ahead ol
him to a vast. slippery black rock