The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-10-20
CHAPTER II-Continued


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We were now approaching the
foothills among which the castle
rood, but the drive was so serpen-
tine and the trees by its sides were
so thick that we could not see what
was coming for more than some so
PAGES beyond each bend. We, there
fore, took the precaution of leaving
the road for the bracken before we
rounded a curve, to make sure the
next reach was empty before we
exposed ourselves. That we did so
was just as well, for a quarter of a
mile further on, lifted my head
from the bracken to see the closed
car at rest in the midst of the
way. One of it's doors was open,
and someone, within was speaking
with Percy Virgil, who seemed to
be very angry and was pointing the
way we had come.
Be sure 1 dropped like stone,
and Herrick, moving behind me,
followed my lead.
The car then began to move back
wards slowly enough.
Now the drive was not wide
enough to allow any car to turn
round, but a track ran out of the
drive some six or seven PAGES from
where we lay. By making use of
this track, any chauffeur could turn
any car, and I was ready to wager
that here the car would be turned.
Sure enough, in moment or two,
we saw the body swing backwards
into the track. For all that, should
have been wrong, for the car did not
stop until it was four or five PAGES
clear of the drive, when the chauf-
feur applied his mandrake and
switched his engine off. The car
had been parked.
As somebody opened door, Per-
cy Virgil strobe out of the drive
md into the track.
Here I will say once for all that
throughout this tale I shall report
n English such speech as was used.
Much was, of course, said in Ger
man, but though, when I heard it,
] did not know what it meant, Her
rick translated it for me as soon as
ever he could.
As he came to the car
N"Where's the wire?" snapped Vir-
gil. "Or have you forgotten that?"
SIT is here" said another man.
"And the change of clothes?"
"Also," said a woman's voice.
"Al marked, as I said?"
'That is So"
''Then follow me-" said Virgil,
sand bring the wire"
Cautiously raising our heads, we
saw the procession set out-frst Vir-
gil, then the man, then the woman,
with dog on a lead. The chauf-
feur brought up the rear. They
passed behind the car and disap-
peared in the wood.
When Herrick explained what had
passed, put hand to my head.
"What on earth does it mean?"
Herrick shrugged his shoulders.
"Unless," he said, dear Percy is
making film :"
(Which is absurd" said I. "But
so is everything else. And where
does the dog come in?"
Nothing comes in" said Herrick.
1It's all preposterous. But I'm glad
to have seen dear Percy-extreme-
y glad"
Having seen and heard what we
had, I was for following Virgil, to
see what his business might be, but
when I suggested this, Herrick
raised his eyebrows and glanced at
his watch.
GAS you please" said he, "but it's
now getting on for five, and the out
door staff will be up and about by
six. If we turn aside and start
stalking Percy and Co.-and it
means stalking, mark you: not
whipping along a road-by the time
we get back to our job, we may
find that we've missed the tide"
This was sheer common sense, so
said no more.
Ten minutes perhaps had gone by
when the drive curled between the
foothills and then swung round to
the left and began to climb. AL
most at once the woods on its right
fell away, and there was the castle
before us, perhaps 300 yards off.
It made a lovely picture, Lit by
the rising sun, for its tower and it's
seven turrets stood out most bold
and brilliant against the blue of the
sky and these and every projection
that caught the light were throwing
shadows so vivid that the castle
looked heraldic and might have been
a blazon of black and gold. 1t was
built of gray stone and must once
have been a fortress of considera-
BILE strength, but windows had later
been set in its massive walls and
chimney-stacks had been added to
make it residence.
Herrick, think, was more excit-
ed than I, for, now that he saw the
castle as he had seen and known it
when he was twelve years old, he
began at once to remember the plan
of the house: since this was all to
the good, I let him be and myself
began to survey the heights which
we Lcnad to use.