THE DEPTHS
And now Emerson became troubled with doubts. He saw his quest as
something absurdly romantic—like an adventure in the “cinema.” What
relation was there between a public speaker’s mention of ivy, and a
small girl turning and whispering to her neighbor, and this spooky old
ruin? “There isn’t any logical connection,” said Emerson in his prim,
nice way.
He emerged and clambered up a heap of masonry which might once have been
a flight of stone steps. It brought him to the top of a wall which was
one of four forming a square enclosure like a great well. These walls
were fairly even on top and wide enough to walk on.
The bottom of this enclosure, which might once have been a vault
(possibly a wine vault) in the cellar was perhaps ten feet below the
level of the ground; the top of its walls was perhaps five or six feet
above the level of the ground. So that Emerson, where he stood, looked
down into a dank enclosure about fifteen feet deep.
As he stooped forward slightly, peering down into the depths, he looked
exactly as he had looked that very morning when Pee-wee had encountered
him gazing down through the grating in front of the vacant store. He had
said then that the loss of his tickets was “exasperating” and he might
have used the same word now, as he looked into the baffling enclosure
and saw no way to explore it.
At the bottom of this fearful place was water with stars reflected in
it; it seemed to cover the whole area of the enclosure, save at one
place near a corner where a disorderly heap of stone projected above the
surface like a tiny volcanic island. It was probably the material which
had once formed a flight of steps into this dungeon. At all events there
was no other way of descending.
Two things, and only two, could Emerson see in the bottom of that dark
pit. These were the broken end of a board projecting slantingwise out of
the water, and another piece of board with a broken end floating on the
surface. The end which was sticking out of the water was moving
slightly. Or perhaps it was only the faint, uncertain flicker of light
which made it seem to move.
Instantly the thought occurred to him that the length of this board
below the surface must be considerable if it were embedded in mud, for
otherwise the tendency would be for the bottom to release it and let it
float. But perhaps it was caught among rocks instead of in mud. Anyway,
it seemed as if the two fragments had formed a single timber. If the
fragment which projected at a tipsy angle out of the dark water was not
very long below the surface, then it seemed likely that it _had not been
there very long_. It could not long have remained in that freakish
position.
All this occurred to Emerson, who had never supposed that he would make
a scout. He walked around on the wall looking down to see if from any
other viewpoint other objects might be visible below. He presently made
a discovery which was conclusive. Then another not so conclusive.
Reaching the opposite side of the square, he noticed upon the flat
masonry at his feet a slightly discolored area about ten inches wide.
Its position on the wall was like that of a diagonal stripe. He stooped,
not without some tremor, for stooping seemed a risky business, and poked
a little dark spot upon this area. Something prompted him to strike a
match and examine it. It proved to be a dead slug, one of those flat,
loathsome little creatures that scurry out of their damp concealment
when a plank is lifted from the ground. This one, however, had met his
doom in a larger catastrophe.
Around the corner was another such area on the wall corresponding to the
one first discovered. _A board had lain across the corner at this
place._ The fact that the little slug was still upon the masonry would
seem to indicate the very recent taking away of the board. And the
position of one fragment of the board in the water appeared to confirm
this supposition in Emerson’s mind.
He felt pretty certain now what had happened. Some one had walked along
that board to cut off a corner in the journey around. And the board had
broken. Yet Emerson had seen nothing below but the two pieces of board
and the water.
It was then that he made his second discovery.