"No," I replied, "I have kept quite out of the way of it since Isabel
got so frightened. Indeed I have not spoken to her about it for some
time, and I have often thought how much I should like to tell you about
it; I knew you'd be so interested. Only, Moore--remember what you have
promised," I added impressively.
"Of course I shall," he replied. "You've never known me break my word,
now, have you, Reggie?"
"No," I allowed.
"And I'm not going to do such a thing this time," he continued.
"Besides, it would be a mean sort of trick to start anything on my own
account, and keep you out of the fun."
"It is not _fun_ I am thinking of," I replied, with some indignation.
"Oh well, you know what I mean. You'd like awfully to find out what is
at the bottom of it all, and so would I. We needn't say more than that.
I don't suppose we _shall_ find out anything, but the mere idea of it
is so interesting. I wonder what the house is like inside. Are the
windows barred, do you know?"
"Not that I have seen," I replied. "Certainly not on the side where
Isabel and I were. And you can see for yourself that there's nothing of
the kind on this side," for, as I said, we were standing on the hilly
ground from which two sides of the Grim House were fairly well within
view. "No, Moore, I don't believe in your theory of some one being shut
up there. It would have come out to a certainty through the servants.
I told you they have no old servants of their own; they just get them in
the neighbourhood like other people."
Moore whistled softly and swung his legs about. When I said we were
"standing," I should rather have said "sitting," he on the top of a high
gate, the entrance to a sloping field, I on the lower step of a stile at
one side. I detected a note of incredulity in his manner.
"No," I repeated, "I am certain there is no one shut up there--not even
a--"
"What?"
"Oh I don't know--a tiger, or a pet boa constrictor, as there was in a
story I read the other day," I said carelessly. "Anything you like.
No, there is nothing in _that_ idea, Moore."
"Well," he replied, "we shall see, or very likely we shall _not_ see.
But at worst I'm determined to have a go at finding out _something_
before I leave Millflowers, and of course you will help me, Reggie. You
see I can't do anything on my own account because of my promise to you."
I trusted him, yet I felt uneasy, and almost began to regret my
confidences. He would certainly not _mean_ to break his word, but
still--he might be sorely tempted, and he was only a boy. If, for
instance, he was passing the door in the wall and found it ajar, what
boy nature could resist, like Bluebeard's wife, peeping in; and once
within the enchanted precincts! No, I had myself to thank for it; I had
laid the train, and I must see to the consequences.
"There is really nothing to do," I began, trying, now that it was too
late, to wet-blanket the boy's curiosity.
"There's lots to find out," he interrupted. "You have been thinking and
wondering ever so much about it yourself. You know you have. And if I
keep my promise, as of course I shall, you mustn't fight off poking
about a bit, to see what we can see. We needn't get into mischief or
bother anybody. Isabel and her father need never know we go near the
place. _I_ should never do anything half as risky as you and she did
the other day."
"What is it you want to do?" I asked, with a curious mixture of
feelings. I was afraid, though I scarcely knew what I was afraid of,
and yet in a sense pleased to be, as it were, forced into prosecuting
some investigation into the mystery which had so fascinated my
imagination.
Moore did not at once reply. At some risk to his equilibrium, he
managed to raise himself to a standing position on one of the higher
bars of the gate, and gazed before him intently. Of course I did not
need to be told in what direction he was gazing.
"It seems to me," he said at last, "so far as I can understand from your
description the spot where the door is--it seems to me that if we got in
by it, we could creep round to the front of the house--I mean to a part
from where we could have a good view of the front, and see the windows
and anything there is to be seen--behind the bushes, without coming out
into the open at all. That would be grand, wouldn't it, Reggie?"
My first impulse was to exclaim delightedly in agreement, but there came
misgivings again. I had not, so far, contemplated anything so
audacious. Still, Moore, as he turned towards me interrogatively, must
have seen the gleam in my eyes. He was as sharp as a needle.
"Oh," I replied, "that would really be trespass. We must not do as much
as that--just supposing we were seen? What could we say for ourselves?"
"Just supposing we are _not_ seen," he said with boyish pertness.
"Nonsense, Reggie--trust me for that."
"Or if there are dogs about," I went on.
"You'd have seen them, or they would have scented you that other day to
a certainty. Besides, if there were, dogs always like me. I can always
smooth them down," which was true enough. I had seen it tested more
than once. Moore was one of those persons naturally gifted with a
curious power over animals. "I don't say," he continued, evidently
anxious to impress me with his caution and sobriety of judgment, "that
I'd care to tackle a bloodhound or even a mastiff. But it's most
unlikely that they have any fellows of the kind about the place. It
would be known."
This too was a reasonable presumption. Still I shook my head.
"All the same, we shall be doing a thing we have no right to be doing,"
I persisted.
Moore shrugged his shoulders.
"If you go at it like that, there are a good many things we'd better not
do," he said. "We've no _right_ to pick mushrooms in old Porson's
fields at home, but no one has ever found fault with us for it."
"Oh, that's quite different," I replied. "However," for I was anxious
to drop the subject as far as possible, knowing by experience that once
Moore got into an argument it was not easy to dislodge him without
giving in entirely, "the first thing to be done is to look for the door
in the wall, for if it is locked, there's an end to everything," though
as I said the words, Jocelyn's ominous prediction, "he'd be scaling the
walls and goodness only knows what," returned to my memory. "That was a
stupid speech of mine," I said to myself. "Just the thing to start him
on some wild scheme."
And I now began to hope fervently, from the side of expediency as well
as of curiosity, that the door should _not_ be locked.
Moore took no apparent notice of my last remark, but after events proved
that he had not only heard, but thoroughly digested it.
We had no opportunity of prosecuting our researches that day or the
next. For "to-morrow" turned out an appallingly wet day--so drivingly
rainy and wretched, that even Moore's ardour was damped, and he stayed
indoors contentedly enough. I did not know how he was amusing himself,
but he told me afterwards that he had been making a "plan" of
Grimsthorpe House, or rather of its position and grounds so far as he
had been able to get them into his head from his own observations and my
descriptions. He had also made preparations for the adventure he was
determined not to be balked of, in other ways. He stuffed his pockets
with strong cord, an old geological hammer and chisel of Mr Wynyard's,
which he had found in a drawer and taken possession of with Isabel's
leave, a feather and small bottle of oil, and all the unused keys he
could lay hands on, and, last not least, in spite of his contempt for my
suggestion, a large piece of dog-biscuit, to be on the safe side in case
of canine opposition to our visit.
And the next afternoon I found myself "in" for it. There was no evasion
of my promise even had I heartily wished to get out of it.
It was not very early when we set off, as I had in the first place been
for a drive with Isabel, the doctor having given leave for this as soon
as the weather grew milder, and to-day had turned out peculiarly fine
after the storms of yesterday.
Moore was waiting for me when we came in.
"I want Reggie to go a little walk with me," he said, half
apologetically, to Isabel. "She wasn't out all yesterday, and she'll be
getting too fat if she doesn't have exercise."
Isabel laughed. At that stage in my career there seemed little
likelihood of the danger he alluded to. For strong and wiry as I was, I
was decidedly thin.
"Don't be late for tea," she said, as we turned away; but Moore called
back--
"Don't expect us till half-past five; it is more than four already. It
doesn't matter about tea."
"Speak for yourself," I said to him when we were out of hearing. "I do
mind about tea, and I don't suppose you've got a private invitation from
the Greys to have it with them."
"Who knows!" said Moore jokingly. "Perhaps they'll fall in love with us
at first sight and ask us to go in."
Even though I knew he was joking, what he said startled me. I stopped
short in the path and turned round, facing him.
"Don't talk nonsense," I said warningly.
"Who began it?" he replied. "I was only following up what you said."
"Well, but seriously," I resumed. "I hope you are not in a wild humour,
Moore, meaning to do anything reckless?"
"Of course not," he said reassuringly. "To-day I _mean_ to do nothing
whatever but spy the ground. But do let us walk faster. How far have
we to go?"
"Not above half a mile or so to where the wall begins," I replied. "And
then, oh! it can't be above a few hundred yards to the place where the
door is, only if we are to find it we must walk slowly when we get near
there."
The road looked almost more lonely to-day than when I had been there
before. There was not the slightest sign of life or movement as far as
we could see beyond us.
"I could believe that no one had passed this way for weeks," I said to
Moore. "Did you ever see such a lonely place?"
"That is probably why they have made the door on this side," he replied.
"I dare say they come out at night, and walk up and down like ghosts!"
"I'm sure they don't," I answered, "and _they_ didn't make the door.
It's as old as the wall itself, as you can see by the ivy. Now don't
talk any more; I want to give all my attention to looking for it."
And in a minute or two I exclaimed triumphantly; "Here it is, and--yes--
still unlocked!"
It must have called for some self-restraint on Moore's part not to shout
"hurrah!" but we were well on our guard. We pushed the door open and
entered cautiously, drawing it to behind us. We were well sheltered, as
I have said, by the bushes skirting the wall. I crept along a few yards
in the same direction as I had done the last time, my brother closely
following me. Then we stopped, and I whispered to him that I thought it
would be safe to peep out a little. He did so, keeping still well in
the shade of the heavy clumps of evergreens farther inside the grounds.
Then, after reconnoitring, he beckoned to me to come on.
"There isn't a creature about," he said, "and we can't be seen from the
windows at this side. You needn't be so dreadfully frightened, Reggie."
"Oh, but it was just like this the last time," I whispered, "when all of
a sudden we heard the cripple brother coming. No, Moore, I _won't_ go
farther in!"
"Well, stay where you are for a bit," he replied. "I want to get a
thoroughly good idea of the lie of the place;" and he certainly seemed
to be doing his best to obtain this, his curly head bobbing backwards
and forwards in all directions, while I stood on guard, tremulously
listening for the slightest sound, extremely frightened, extremely
interested, and intensely excited.
When Moore was satisfied that there was no more to be done from his
present post of observation, we crept back again to the neighbourhood of
the door. I flattered myself that he was now ready to go home, but I
was mistaken.
"Now," he said, "I am going to explore for myself. You and Isabel
didn't try the other side--to the left, I mean."
"O Moore," I exclaimed, "that is towards the front of the house!"
"I know that," he answered; "but that's just why I want to go that way.
It's perfectly safe if we keep pretty near the wall;" and my curiosity
surmounting my fears, I in my turn followed him for some little way.
Then an unexpected thing happened! Suddenly, on our right hand, the
border of bushes opened out into a sort of trellised passage, between
trees, what in France is called a _tonnelle_, and at its end we
perceived a glazed door, evidently leading into a conservatory.