By What Means
The night was full of restlessness. Tracy and Professor Hardwick, in
their adjoining rooms, were the only ones in the wing that had the night
before also housed Braye and Gifford Bruce.
"Shall we leave the door between open?" Tracy asked, more out of
consideration for the Professor's nerves than his own.
"Yes, if you will. And don't go to bed yet. I can't sleep, I know, and I
must discuss this thing with somebody, or go mad!"
"All right, sir," and Tracy took off his coat and donned an old-fashioned
dressing-gown.
Hardwick smiled. "That's the first ministerial garb I've seen you wear,"
he said. "I'd pick that up for a dominie's negligé every time!"
"I'm rather attached to the old dud," and Tracy patted it affectionately.
"Queer, how one comes to love a worn garment. No, I don't wear clerical
togs when off on a vacation. I used to, till some one told me it cast a
restraint over the others, and I hate to feel I'm doing that."
"You'd never do that, my friend. You've a natural tact that ought to
carry you far toward general popularity. But, tell me, as man to man, how
do you size up this awful mystery?"
"I don't know, Professor. At times my mind's a blank,--and then, I get a
hint or,--well, I can't call it a suspicion,--but a thought, say, in one
direction, and it's so fearfully absurd, I discard it at once. Then comes
another idea, only to be dismissed like the first. What do you think?"
"I am a complete convert to the supernatural. You know, Sir Oliver Lodge
and many other scientists only believed after they had had undeniable
personal experience. Now, here were warnings,--definite, positive
prophecies, and they were fulfilled. What more can any one ask?"
Tracy mused over this. "I know that," he said, at last, "but I can't
quite swallow it whole, like that. Do you mean there was no physical
cause? Such as fright, expectant attention,----"
"Expectant attention is a fine phrase,--much like auto-suggestion. They
are all right as far as they go, but they can't go to the extent of
killing people. Then again, suggest even a theory, even a possible means
of the death of those two by any human agency. Murder is out of the
question,--suicide even more so. And they had no desire to end their
lives. A young girl, happily looking forward to gaiety and pleasure,--a
man in the prime of life, hale, rich, prosperous--no, they had no wish to
die!"
"True enough; but I can't quite see it. Why did the spirits want to kill
them? if spirits did kill them?"
"For interfering with this haunted house,--in a frivolous and flippant
way. I've always heard that departed souls bitterly resent scoffing, or
merely curious investigation."
"But why choose those two? Or Vernie, anyway? Perhaps Mr. Bruce was
needlessly sarcastic and sceptical."
"So was the child----"
"Oh, but in such an innocent, harmless way! However, Professor, I've
nothing to offer in place of your argument. My creed does not admit of my
subscribing to your theory, but I confess I'm unable to suggest any
other. As you say, it couldn't have been suicide, and there's no
possibility of foul play."
The two men talked on, or sat in silent thought, far into the night. The
clock struck twelve before they at last retired, leaving open their
communication door, and securely locking their hall doors.
Less than an hour later, a slender white-robed figure tiptoed from one of
the bedrooms and looked over the banisters. Peering down through the
darkness, the dim outline of old Thorpe's form was visible. He was
huddled in his chair, his head fallen forward on the table. Softly
returning to her room for a wrap, Eve again stealthily came to the
staircase, and sat down on the uppermost step.
Later still, another door silently opened, and a pair of surprised blue
eyes saw Eve sitting there. Suppressing a startled exclamation, Norma
scurried back to her room, but Eve did not hear her.
Milly was wakeful and restless. Several times she declared she heard
sounds, but when Wynne wanted to go and investigate, she refused to let
him do so.
The house surely seemed haunted. The aspens brushed against the windows
with their eternal soughing, their leaves whispering,--hissing creepy
secrets, and their branches tapping eerily on the panes. The halls were
full of shadows, vague, indistinct, fading to nothingness.
At four o'clock the great clock tolled the hour, and every one in the
house heard it. No one was asleep, every heart was beating fast, every
eye wide open, every nerve tense.
But nothing happened; no shriek rent the silence, no unusual or
terrifying sound was heard.
Relieved, some went to sleep again, some tossed restlessly on their
pillows until rising time.
At breakfast all looked haggard and worn. The day was cool and pleasant,
the dining room bright with sunshine, and old Hester's viands most
appetizing.
Thorpe had closed the doors of the rooms given over to the presence of
death, and as the various members of the party came down the staircase
quick apprehensive glances were followed by a look of relief.
Elijah Stebbins came while breakfast was in progress, and at Milly's
invitation took a seat at the board.
"Well," he said heavily, "you folks wanted spooks, I hope you're
satisfied."
"Don't use that tone, Mr. Stebbins," Landon reproved him. "A dreadful
thing has happened. I cannot think it is by supernatural causes nor can I
see any other explanation. But that is no reason for you to speak
flippantly of our investigations of your so-called haunted house."
"No offence meant," and Stebbins cringed. "But I'm thinkin' you folks had
better go away from here, or there's no tellin' what might happen."
"Do you know anything about the mystery?" Professor Hardwick shot out the
question so suddenly that Stebbins jumped.
"No, sir, of course I don't, sir! How could I?"
"Then why do you warn us off the premises?"
"I don't exactly do that, but I'd think you'd reason for yourselves that
what happens once can happen ag'in."
The dogged look on the man's face seemed portentous of evil, and Milly
began to cry.
"Oh, take me home, Wynne," she begged; "I don't want to stay here!"
"Come with me, Milly," said Eve, and rising, she led Milly from the room.
It was shortly after that the coroner arrived.
"I don't want to see that man," said Stebbins, "him and me ain't good
friends," and rising quickly, the owner of the house fled toward the
kitchen quarters, and spent the rest of the morning with the Thorpes out
there.
Doctor Crawford, the county physician and coroner, was a man of slow
speech and dignified manner. He was appalled by the circumstances in
which he found himself, and a little frightened at the hints he had heard
of ghostly visitations.
Indeed, that had been the real reason for his delay in arriving,--he had
not been willing to brave the darkness of the night before. This was his
secret, however, and his excuse of conflicting duties had been accepted.
The whole party gathered in the hall to hear what the newcomer had to
say.
Eve and Milly returned, the latter, quivering and tearful, going straight
to her husband's side, and sitting close to him.
Norma was pale and trembling, too, and Tracy's watchful eye regarded her
sympathetically, as he led her to a seat.
Eve, self-reliant and calm, flitted about incessantly. She went to the
kitchen and talked over household matters with Hester, for Milly was
unable to do this. Then, returning, Eve went into the drawing room, and
after a few moments returned, closing the door again after her. Then she
stepped into the Room with the Tassels. She was there longer, but at last
came out, and locking the door behind her, retained the key. No one
noticed this but Norma, and she kept her own counsel, but she also kept a
watchful eye on Eve.
Even before he went to look at the bodies of the two victims of the
tragedy, Doctor Crawford asked some questions.
His slowness was maddening to the alert minds of his listeners, but he
methodically arrived at the facts of the case.
"I am told by my colleague, Doctor Wayburn," he said, "that there is no
mark or sign on the remains to indicate the cause of death. There will,
of course, be need of autopsies, but for that I will await Doctor
Wayburn's return. He will be here shortly. Meantime, I will inquire
concerning this strange information I have received, hinting at a belief
in--ahem--in spiritualism, by some of the people here present. Is such
belief held, may I ask?"
"Perhaps belief is too strong a word," the Professor volunteered, as no
one else spoke, "but I may tell you that we came here to this house for
the purpose of investigating the truth of the story that the house is
haunted."
"And have you made such investigations?"
"We have tried to do so. The results have been mysterious, startling and
now,--tragic,--but I cannot say we have proved anything, except that
supernatural influences have most assuredly been at work."
"I am not willing to accept such an explanation of two sudden deaths,"
Crawford said, in his dignified way, "at any rate, not without a most
exhaustive investigation into the possibility of their having been
brought about by natural agencies. Let me take up first the case of Mr.
Bruce. Was this gentleman in robust health?"
"Entirely so," said Landon, "so far as we know. It is not inconceivable
that he had some heart trouble or other malady that was not noticeable,
but of that I cannot say positively. It seems to me, Doctor, you would
better look at him, you might note some symptom that would enlighten
you."
Crawford shuddered perceptibly, but tried to hide his disinclination.
Though accustomed to gruesome sights, his dread of the supernatural was
such that he feared the proposed examination. However, ashamed of his
hesitation, he rose, and asked to be shown the body of Gifford Bruce.
Landon started to officiate, but Milly's detaining hand held him back;
the Professor made no move, but Eve and Tracy started simultaneously to
rise.
"I'll go," said Eve, a little officiously, and Tracy sat down again.
She led the way to the big drawing room, where the remains of Gifford
Bruce lay, and stood by while Doctor Crawford looked down at the still,
white face.
A long time they stood there, no word being spoken. Then Eve said softly,
"Don't let your disbelief in supernatural powers blind you to their
possible reality. There are many matters yet unknown and spiritism is one
of them. Remember that we who are here gathered are sensitives and
psychics. We are prepared for and expect experiences not vouchsafed to
less clairvoyant natures,--though we did not look for _this_! But I beg
of you, sir, to realize that there are things of which you have no
cognizance, that yet are real and effective."
Doctor Crawford looked at the speaker. In the partially darkened room,
Eve's strange eyes glittered with an uncanny light. Her face was pale,
and her red hair like a flame aureole. She took a slow step nearer to the
doctor, and he recoiled, as from a vampire.
"You are afraid!" she said, and her tone was exultant. "Do not be
afraid,--the phantasms will not hurt you if you do your duty. Unless you
do your duty----" she stretched her hand toward him, and again he drew
away, "the phantasms will haunt you--_haunt_ you--_haunt you_!"
Her voice fell to the merest whisper, but it thrilled through the room
like a clarion note to the shocked ears of the listening man.
Against his will her eyes held his; against his will, without his
volition, he whispered, "What is my duty?"
"To declare,--to declare in accordance with your own conviction, in proof
of your own belief,--that these two deaths were the direct result of a
supernatural power. What power, you know not, but you do know--remember,
you _do_ know, that no mortal hand brought the tragedy about, either the
hands of the victims themselves or of any one else."
Fascinated, frightened, Crawford stared at this strange woman. He had
never before encountered such a face, such a sinuous, serpentine form, a
personality that seemed to sway his very being, that seemed to dominate
and control his whole will power, his whole brain power.
"Don't misunderstand me," Eve went on, "don't think for a moment, I am
advising you wrongly, or with intent to deceive. Only, I see you know
nothing of occult phenomena, and moreover, you are even ignorant of your
own ignorance of them. Therefore, seeing, too, your quick appreciation
and perceptive faculty, I warn you not to ignore or forget the fact that
these things exist, that unseen powers hold sway over us all, and they
_must_ be reckoned with."
The flattery was subtle. More than the words, Eve's glance implied a keen
apprehension on the part of the doctor, which, as he didn't possess it,
seemed a desirable thing to him, and he gladly assumed that he had it.
"And now," Eve said, as they left the room, "do you want to go to the
other room--the Room with the Tassels?"
"No--please, not now," and Crawford shuddered, for he had heard much of
that room. Also, he was desirous of getting back to more normal
associates than this strange being, and he resolved to leave the
examination of the other victim until the return of his fellow physician,
who at least was practical, and an unbeliever in spooks.
Shaken by the whole episode, Doctor Crawford concealed his disquiet by a
manner even more slow and deliberate than usual. He said no word of
Gifford Bruce, but announced his desire to ask a few general questions
concerning practical matters.
"Where is your home, Mr. Landon?" he inquired, and then asked the same
question of each.
He learned that they were all residents of New York City, except Mr.
Tracy, who had lived in Philadelphia, but was contemplating a move to New
York.
"I have had a call to a pastorate there," Tracy stated, "and it seems
advisable to me to accept it."
"Mr. Bruce lived in Chicago, did he not?" went on Crawford, "and Miss
Reid, also?"
"Yes," said Landon, "but Miss Reid had been at school in Connecticut for
the last three years. She was graduated in June, and her uncle and
guardian, Mr. Bruce, came East for the occasion. They concluded to spend
the summer with us, intending to return to Chicago next month."
"Mr. Bruce was a wealthy man?" inquired the questioner.
"Yes;" answered Landon, "not a financial magnate, but worth at least two
million dollars."
"And who are his heirs?"
The question fell like a bombshell. It had not been thought of, or at
least not spoken of, by any of the party. The bareness of it, the
implication of it, gave a shock, as of a sudden accusation.
"I hadn't thought of that," Wynne Landon said, slowly.
"But you know?" queried Crawford.
"Of course I know. Unless Gifford Bruce left a contradictory will, his
estate must revert to Rudolph Braye, the son of Mr. Bruce's
half-brother----"
"Why, Wynne," interrupted Milly, "you're a cousin."
"I am," and Landon flushed unaccountably, "but I'm a second cousin. Braye
would inherit, unless a will made other proviso."
"Where is Mr. Braye?"
"He went to New York last evening and has not yet returned."
"You expect him soon?"
"This afternoon, probably. Of course, he has realized that he is the heir
of a great fortune, but naturally he would not discuss it last evening,
when we were all so alarmed and excited over the awfulness of the
situation."
"Was Mr. Braye present at the time of the--tragedy?"
"No;" Landon stopped to think. "He wasn't. Where was he?"
"He was with me," said Milly. "We went in his car to East Dryden. We went
to the markets and did some other shopping at the stores."
"And when you returned it was--all over?" Doctor Crawford looked gravely
at her.
"Yes," said Milly, "we were both away, and oh, I am so glad! I couldn't
have stood it!"
She broke down and sobbed in her husband's arms, but Crawford went on
asking questions.
"The autopsy will show," he said, "but I will ask if any of you can show
cause to suspect that a poison of any sort could have been administered
to the victims of this disaster."
"Not possibly," said Professor Hardwick. "We were at tea, and had all
been served from the same teapot and from the same plates of cakes. I can
affirm this, for I've thought over every moment of the occasion. Mr.
Bruce had taken part of his tea, and had eaten part of his cake,----"
"Are you sure of this?" the coroner interrupted.
"I am sure that he sat next to me, that he was talking to me, and that he
received his tea at the same time I did. We sat stirring our cups, and
nibbling our cake as we discussed a matter in which we were both
interested. Less than a half minute before that man died, he was as well
as he had ever been. The scene is perfectly before my eyes. He held his
cup and saucer in one hand, his spoon in the other,--when I saw his eyes
open queerly, his face change to a clayey gray, and his fingers relaxed,
letting his cup fall to the floor. I set down my cup quickly and sprang
toward him, but in an instant it was all over."
A hush fell on the group as all remembered the details, so exactly as the
Professor had related them.
"And the young lady," said Crawford, at last, rousing himself from
thought, "did she too drink tea?"
"No," said Eve Carnforth, musingly. "I remember I was just fixing
Vernie's tea. She liked it sweet, and I was adding a lump of sugar when
the commotion began."
"I noticed Miss Reid first, I think," offered Tracy; "at least, I
happened to look toward her when Mr. Bruce fell forward in his chair. She
made a slight sound, as of horror, and when I glanced her way, she looked
so stunned I thought she was going to collapse, so I stepped across
toward her. As I did so, she looked suddenly very strange, and I feared
she was ill,--aside from her shock at sight of Mr. Bruce. I grasped her
by the shoulders just as she was about to fall. She cried out as if in
pain, and then Miss Carnforth came to my assistance, and we laid the
child on that sofa. In an instant, she, too, was gone."
"She had taken no tea?"
"No," said Eve, positively. "Nor any cakes. As a rule, the elders were
served first and Vernie last. So there is no chance of there having been
poison in the tea or cakes,--nor could it be possible, anyway, as we all
ate them,--didn't we?"
Every one present affirmed that they had partaken of the tea and the
cakes, and declared they were both harmless and just such as they had had
served every afternoon since their arrival.
"That settles that point, at any rate," and the coroner nodded his head.
"There can be no question of poison after what you've told me. Unless,
either or both of them took poison themselves or gave it to the other
intentionally."