Year: 1859

[ could warmly and sincerity praise the little
poem, when .Jarber had done reading it; but ]
could not say that it tended in any degree to-
wards clearing up the mystery Of the empty
House.


Whether it was the absence of the irritating
influence of Trottle, or whether it was simply
fatigue, I cannot say, but Jarber did not strike
me, that evening, as being in his usual spirits
And though he declared that he was not in the
least daunted by his want Of success thus far
and that he was resolutely determined to make
more discoveries, he spoke in languid, absent
manner, and, shortly afterwards took his leave
at rather an early hour.


When Trottle came back, and when I incig-
nantly taxed him with Philandering, he not
only denied the imputation, but asserted that
he had been employed on my service, and, in
consideration of that, boldly asked for leave of
absence for two days, and for morning to
himself afterwards to complete the business,
in which he solemn!y declared that [ was in
terested. In remembrance of his long and
faithful service to me, L did violence to myself
and granted his request. And he on his side,
engaged to explain himself to my satisfaction,
in a weeks time, on Monday evening, the
twentieth


A day or two before, sent to Jarber's lodg-
ings to ask him to drop into tea. His landlady
sent back an apology for him that made my
hair stand on end. His feet were on hot wa
ter; his head was in flannel petticeat; a green
shade was over his eyes; the rheumatism was
in his legs and a mustard -poultice was Oh his
chest. lie was also little feversh, and rather
distracted in his mind about Manchester Mar
riages, Dwarf, and Three Evenings, or even
ing Partes-his landlady was not sure which
in an empty house, with the Water Rate
unpaid.


Under these distressing circumstances, [ was
necessarily left alone with Trottle. His prom
iscd explanation began, like Jarbcr's discover
les, with the reading of written paper. The
only diHerence WAS that Trottle introduced his
manuscript under the name of a Report


TRoTTLE's REPORT.


The curious events related in these pages
would many of them, most likely never have
happened, if a person named Trottle had not
presumed, contrary to his usual custom, to
think for himself.


The subject on which the person in question
had ventured, for the first time in his life, to
form an opinion purely and entirely his own,
was one which had already excited the interest
of his respected mistress in avery eXtraordina-
ry degree. Or, to put it in palmer terms still,
the subject was no other than the mystery of
the empty House.


Feeling no sort of objection to set success
of his own, if possible, side by side with
failure of Mr.. Jarber's, Trottle made up his
MIND, one hOnUdy eNSHlHS, W u "n<t1 iic
could do on his own account, toward clearing
up the mystery of the empty House. Care
fully disnissing from his mind all nonsenical
notions of former tenants and their histories,
and keeping the one point in view stetteti5-ee-
fore him. he started to reach it in the shortest
way, bv walking straight UP to the House, and
bringing himself face to face with the trst per-
son in it who opened the door to him.


It was getting towards dark, on Monday


Il: Al n fha
Trottlc first set foot on the steps OF the House
When he knocked at the door he knew nothing
of the matter which he was about to 1nyestl-
gate. except that the landlord was an elderly
widower Of good fortune, and that his name
was Forley. A small beginning enough for
man to start from, certainly


On dropping the knocker, his first proceed
ing was to look down cautiously out of the cor
ner Of his right eye, for any results which
might show themselves at the kitchen window.
There appeared at it Immediately the figure OF
a woman, who looked up inquisitively at the
stranger on the steps, left the window in
hurry. and came back to it with an open letter
in her hand, which she held up to the fading
LIGHT. After looking over the letter hastily
for a moment or so, the woman disappeared
once more -,


Trottle next heard footsteps shufiing and
scraping along the bare hall of the house. On
a sudden they ceased, and the sound of two
Voices shrill, persuading voice, and a gruf,
resisting voice-confusedly reached his ears.
After a while the voices left off speaking-a
chain was nndone, boltdrawn baek-the door
Trottle stood face TO face with
two rrcrgons-a woman in advance and a man