The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-03-31
CHAPTER v-Continued

Leaving him staring, ! entered
the room on my left, passed to ta-
BILE and dipped a pen in some ink.
Then I came back and gave 1t to
Herrick and watched him begin to
descend.
Brenda, of course, was wide-eyed:
but it was not for me to tell her
what we had found.
We waited together In silence till
Herrick came back-alone.
Elizabeth wants you again." was
as much as he said. ~
In some surprise, I took the torch
from him and again descended the
stair.
AS I entered the little chamber
Look" said Elizabeth, pointing.
1'Is that all right"
stopped to regard the vellum.
She had written line beneath
her grandfather's name.
elizabeth Virgil, Countess Of
Brief, only child Of the foregoing's
first-born son."
eyes," said I. "There's no mis-
take about that"
She gave me the pen, and picked
up the great gold ring. Then she
turned to look again at the body,
sunk in its stall.
"Seeing's believing" she said.
"But no chemist could do today
what Gollanx has done"
That, of course, was most true.
BY every right, the body should
have been dust. Instead, it had the
air of a waxwork. And that, sup
pose, was why it was in no way
offensive, but only remarkable.
After long look
sWe'd better be going" she said,
and turned to the stair.
There was now no cause for haste,
for leave before midnight we dared
not, in case Brief was not asleep:
and that was the hour at which Win
ter was to be by the mouth of the
drive. (He, of course, knew no more
than that we were within the tower
and that all was well, for I had
twice sent him that signal short
faH-hour before dawn. This, from
the leads of the tower, which were
easily reached.) Indeed, we were
faced with the prospect of being
confined for three hours with moth
ing to do, for though we were all
worn out, excitement and irnpa-
thence, between them, would not al
low us to rest. But first, of course,
we had to cover our tracks.
(Here let me say that make no
excuse for the outlook which have
this moment set down. It was ours,
at that time: and if I am to be
honest, it must be declared.)
Now that we knew the secret, it
took us very short while to return
to their ancient order the. elements
we had displaced, but dust that the
years have laid cannot be repro
duced in ten minutes Of time, and
half an hour went by before was
satisfied with the look Of the thirty
sixth step, within whose stone the
key to the chamber lay. Whilst ]
was attending to this, with Brenda
to give me light, my lady and Her
rick together composed full note
of what we had found in the cham
Der and what the statement set
forth. They were at work in the
bedroom, that is to say, the upper
most room of the tower.
I had finished my work on the
step and, with Brenda behind me,
was going upstairs to the bedroom
quietly enough. We had passed by
the door and I was about, being
by, to reiight my torch, when "a
sound there was no installing
raped out of the dark. It was the
clack of latch.
The two Of us stood still as death.
Again the iron was raised-by
somebody standing on the other side
of the door and pressure was
put on the oak-which could not
open because we had made it fast
Then whoever was there gave
in, and the latch fell back into
place. pa ~ ~
was up the stairs in flash, to
give the alarm.
Elizabeth paled, and Herrick sti-
fled an oath.
eff we can, we must bolt" said I.
s'By way of the courtyard, of
course: and so to the belvedere. "
SIS that step all right?" said Her.
rick. y nf .4ssti @
THANK God, yes" said l.. Il
was on my way up" - ssya y
AS luck would have it, our stuff
was ready to hand, and before two
minutes had passed, we had packed
it anyhow and were ready to leave.
We had intended, of course, to re
store to. the rooms we had used the
order we had found in them when
we came, but this was not now
worth doing, and so we let them be.
AS the four Of us stole past the
door, the latch was raised and let
fall and the oak was urged, as
though some one refused to- allow
that the bolts Had been shot. 6
AS fast as dared, led the way
down the stair Is
We were, ! suppose, some so sec