"Why, that's what everybody thinks," I said, "who knows anything about
it. There's nothing original in that."
"I didn't suppose there was," said Moore, beginning to get cross.
I was feeling cross too. I think one often does after any unusual
strain or excitement, especially when it ends in nothing, as our present
adventure now seemed to do.
"I thought," I continued unwisely, "that you had made some wonderful
discovery, or at least that you thought yourself on the road to one, and
now it has all ended in smoke!"
My tone must have been very provoking, but Moore was a queer boy in some
ways. His irritation seemed to have disappeared.
"There is a certain proverb," he said oracularly, "which your words
remind me of. `There is no smoke without fire.' What do you say to
that?--Eh?--I beg your pardon. What did you remark?"
I had not remarked anything. I suppose I had muttered something
inarticulate in my irritation.
"Don't be nonsensical," I said sharply. "You needn't begin hinting,
with nothing to hint about!"
Moore was gazing in front of him, and when he spoke again I was really
at a loss to tell whether he was in earnest or not.
"There was one thing I have not told you of," he said. "In one corner
of the room there was a heavy, long black curtain--_black_," he repeated
impressively. "It cut off that corner of the room as it were. There
may be a door behind it leading to a staircase; there may be--a skeleton
for all I know, or--goodness knows what!"
"Rubbish!" I exclaimed this time. "You are drawing on your imagination
just to keep up the farce! I don't believe you even saw the curtain!"
He faced round on me.
"Reggie!" he exclaimed, "I _did_ see a curtain, word of honour."
"Naturally," I replied, "most windows have curtains. You know what I
mean. I don't believe you saw any unusual kind of curtain, or that it
was black."
"I swear to you it was black, and a very unusual kind of curtain."
"Then why didn't you tell me of it before?" I inquired. "It may have
looked black because the room was dark."
"I was thinking about it," he answered.
"You weren't," I retorted. "You only remembered about it when I said
you had made no discoveries. If you had thought it was really
mysterious you would have mentioned it straight off. Now do let us drop
the whole thing, I'm getting tired of it."
In my heart I was disappointed. I had had in reality, in spite of my
warnings to him, some hopes that Moore's rashness would at least have
led to _something_ in the way of discovery. And by this time I had
succeeded in making him angry.
"You will see," he muttered, and then as I ran off without waiting to
hear more--"you will see," he called after me loudly, "if it is true
that I can find out nothing. I am not such a fool as you think!"
But I still ran on, half laughing to myself at his boyish indignation,
and heedless of his mysterious hints. Somehow, my own curiosity and
interest in the Grim House mystery had diminished as Moore's increased.
"Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle!" I thought to myself. "It is,
anyway, not worth running the risk of getting into any disagreeables,
and no doubt Mr Wynyard would be very annoyed if he knew where we had
been this evening."
What a truism is the old saying, that "nothing is certain except the
unforeseen," and yet how constantly one feels inclined to quote it to
oneself even in everyday life! Two most unforeseen circumstances
occurred during the first three weeks of my stay at Millflowers--Moore's
joining me there, and now a sudden summons to Mr Wynyard and Isabel to
go to Mr Percy's for some days.
I am not perfectly clear in my memory as to the reason of it. As far as
I can recall, the cause was the sudden arrival of some important member
of the family from a distance. However that may have been, the fact was
that our host and his daughter were practically forced to go. They were
very sorry. Mr Wynyard full of apologies, declaring that his sense of
hospitality was outraged by this unfortunate necessity. But they were
both very thankful that my young brother was with me, otherwise, Isabel
declared, that they could _not_ have left me alone, and it might have
ended in my visit being curtailed.