"I must see Ord," I said.
"I should," agreed the Major in his loud voice; "you'll get nothing out
of him. He's the most pig-headed liar in the county! But to continue.
The place proved unlettable. All the old stories were revived, and I'm
told that people cheerfully went two miles out of their way in order to
avoid passing Low Fennel at night! When I sold the Hall and decided to
lease the place from the new proprietor, believe me it was almost hidden
in a wilderness of weeds and bushes which had grown up around it. By the
Lord Harry, I don't think a living soul had approached within a hundred
yards of the house since the day that the Ords quitted it! But it suited
my purpose, being inexpensive to keep up; and by adding this new wing I
was enabled to accommodate such servants as we required. The horses and
the car had to go, of course, and with them a lot of my old people, but
we brought the housekeeper and three servants, and when a London firm
had rebuilt, renovated, decorated, and so forth, it began to look
habitable."
"It's a charming place," I said with sincerity.
"Is it!" snapped the Major, tossing his half-smoked cigar on to a side
table and selecting a fresh one from a large box at his elbow. "Help
yourself, the bottle's near you. Is it!... Hullo! what have we here?"
He broke off, cigar in hand, as the sound of footsteps upon the gravel
path immediately outside the window became audible. Through the cluster
of roses peered a handsome face, that of a dark man, whose soft-grey hat
and loose tie lent him a sort of artistic appearance.
"Oh, it's you, Wales!" cried the Major, but without cordiality. "See you
in half an hour or so; little bit of business in hand at the moment,
Marjorie's somewhere about."
"All right!" called the new arrival, and, waving his hand, passed on.
"It's young Aubrey Wales," explained Dale, almost savagely biting
the end from his cigar, "son of Sir Frederick Wales, and one of my
neighbours. He often drops in."
Mentally considering the Major's attitude, certain rumours which had
reached me, and the youth and beauty of Mrs. Dale, I concluded that the
visits of Aubrey Wales were not too welcome to my old friend. But he
resumed in a louder voice than ever:--
"It was last night that the fun began. I can make neither head nor tail
of it. If the blessed place is haunted, why have we seen nothing of the
ghost during the two months or so we have lived at Low Fennel? The fact
remains that nothing unusual happened until last night. It came about
owing to the infernal heat.
"Mrs. Alson, the housekeeper, came down about two o'clock, intending, so
I understand, to get a glass of cider from the barrel in the cellar. She
could not sleep owing to the heat, and felt extremely thirsty. There's a
queer sort of bend in the stair--I'll show you in a minute; and as she
came down and reached this bend she met a man, or a thing, who was going
up! The moonlight was streaming in through the window right upon that
corner of the stair, and the apparition stood fully revealed.
"I gather that it was that of an almost naked man. Mrs. Alson naturally
is rather reticent on the point, but I gather that the apparition was
inadequately clothed. Regarding the face of the thing she supplies more
details. Addison"--the Major leant forward across the table--"it was
the face of a demon, a contorted devilish face, the eyes crossed, and
glaring like the eyes of a mad dog!
"Of course the poor woman fainted dead away on the spot. She might have
died there if it hadn't been for the amazing heat of the night. This
certainly was the cause of her trouble, but it also saved her. About
three o'clock I woke up in a perfect bath of perspiration. I never
remember such a night, not even in India, and, as Mrs. Alson had done
an hour earlier, I also started to find a drink. Addison! I nearly fell
over her as she lay swooning on the stair!"
He helped himself to a liberal tot of whisky, then squirted soda into
the glass.
"For once in a way I did the right thing, Addison. Not wishing to
alarm Marjorie, I knocked up one of the maids, and when Mrs. Alson had
somewhat recovered, gave her into the girl's charge. I sat downstairs
here in this room until she could see me, and then got the particulars
which I've given you. I wired you as soon as the office was open; for I
said to myself, 'Dale, the devilry has begun again. If Marjorie gets to
hear of it there'll be hell to pay. She won't live in the place.'"
He stood up abruptly, as a ripple of laughter reached us from the
garden.
"Suppose we explore the scene of the trouble?" he suggested, moving
toward the door.
I thought in the circumstance our inspection might be a hurried one;
therefore:
"Should you mind very much if I sought it out for myself?" I said. "It
is my custom in cases of the kind to be alone if possible."
"My dear fellow, certainly!"
"My ramble concluded, I will rejoin Mrs. Dale and yourself--say on the
lawn?"
"Good, good!" cried the Major, throwing open the door. "An opening has
been made on the floor above corresponding with this, and communicating
with the old stair. Go where you like; find out what you can; but
remember--not a word to Marjorie."