“It is only tentative,” I explained. “So much of the house is locked up,
and every movement of mine is under surveillance. Without baths there
are about twelve large rooms, counting the third floor. I’ve not been
able to get there, but I thought that to-night I’d try to look about.”
“You had no sleep last night?”
“Three hours—from four to seven this morning.”
We had crossed into the public square and were walking slowly under the
trees. Now he stopped and faced me.
“I don’t like the look of it, Miss Adams,” he said. “Ordinary panic goes
and hides. But here’s a fear that knows what it’s afraid of and takes
methodical steps for protection. I didn’t want you to take the case, you
know that; but now I’m not going to insult you by asking you to give it
up. But I’m going to see that you are protected. There will be some one
across the street every night as long as you are in the house.”
“Have you any theory?” I asked him. He is not strong for theories
generally. He is very practical. “That is, do you think the other nurse
was right and there is some sort of crime being concealed?”
“Well, think about it,” he prompted me. “If a murder has been committed,
what are they afraid of? The police? Then why a trained nurse and all
this caution about the children? A ghost? Would they lift the carpets so
that they could hear the specter tramping about?”
“If there is no crime, but something—a lunatic perhaps?” I asked.
“Possibly. But then why this secrecy and keeping out the police? It is,
of course, possible that your respected employers have both gone off
mentally, and the whole thing is a nightmare delusion. On my word it
sounds like it. But it’s too much for credulity to believe they’ve both
gone crazy with the same form of delusion.”
“Perhaps I’m the lunatic,” I said despairingly. “When you reduce it like
that to an absurdity I wonder if I didn’t imagine it all, the lights
burning everywhere and the carpets up, and Mrs. Reed staring down the
staircase, and I locked in a room and hanging on by my nails to peer out
through a closet transom.”
“Perhaps. But how about the deadly sane young woman who preceded you?
She had no imagination. Now about Reed and his wife—how do they strike
you? They get along all right and that sort of thing, I suppose?”
“They are nice people,” I said emphatically. “He’s a gentleman and
they’re devoted. He just looks like a big boy who’s got into an awful
mess and doesn’t know how to get out. And she’s backing him up. She’s a
dear.”
“Humph!” said Mr. Patton. “Don’t suppress any evidence because she’s a
dear and he’s a handsome big boy!”
“I didn’t say he was handsome,” I snapped.
“Did you ever see a ghost or think you saw one?” he inquired suddenly.
“No, but one of my aunts has. Hers always carry their heads. She asked
one a question once and the head nodded.”
“Then you believe in things of that sort?”
“Not a particle—but I’m afraid of them.”
He smiled, and shortly after that I went back to the house. I think he
was sorry about the ghost question, for he explained that he had been
trying me out, and that I looked well in my cloak and bonnet.
“I’m afraid of your chin generally,” he said; “but the white lawn ties
have a softening effect. In view of the ties I have almost the
courage——”
“Yes?”
“I think not, after all.” he decided. “The chin is there, ties or no
ties. Good-night, and—for heaven’s sake don’t run any unnecessary
risks.”
The change from his facetious tone to earnestness was so unexpected that
I was still standing there on the pavement when he plunged into the
darkness of the square and disappeared.