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Page 25
Traversing more corridors, upon which dust lies thickly, they come at
last to a small iron-bound door that blocks the end of one passage.
"Now we really begin to get near to it," says Sir Adrian encouragingly,
turning, as he always does, when opportunity offers, to address himself
solely to Florence.
"Don't you feel creepy-creepy?" asks Ethel Villiers, with a smothered
laugh, looking up at Captain Ringwood.
Then Sir Adrian pushes open the door, revealing a steep flight of stone
steps that leads upward to another door above. This door, like the lower
one, is bound with iron.
"This is the tower," explains Sir Adrian, still acting as cicerone
to the small party, who look with interest around them. Mrs. Talbot,
affecting nervousness, clings closely to Sir Adrian's arm. Indeed she is
debating in her own mind whether it would be effective or otherwise to
subside into a graceful swoon within his arms. "Yonder is the door of
the chamber," continues Sir Adrian. "Come, let us go up to it."
They all ascend the last flight of stone stairs; and presently their
host opens the door, and reveals to them whatever mysteries may lie
beyond. He enters first, and they all follow him, but, as if suddenly
recollecting some important point, he turns, and calls loudly to Captain
Ringwood not to let the door shut behind him.
"There is a peculiar spring in the lock," he explains a moment later;
"and, if the door slammed to, we should find it impossible to open it
from the inside, and might remain here prisoners forever unless the
household came to the rescue."
"Oh, Captain Ringwood, pray be careful!" cries Dora falteringly. "Our
very lives depend upon your attention!"
"Miss Villiers, do come here and help me to remember my duty," says
Captain Ringwood, planting his back against the open door lest by any
means it should shut.
The chamber is round, and has, instead of windows, three narrow
apertures in the walls, through which can be obtained a glimpse of the
sky, but of nothing else. These apertures are just large enough to admit
a man's hand. The room is without furniture of any description, and on
the boards the dark stains of blood are distinctly visible.
"Dynecourt, tell them a story or two," calls out Ringwood to Sir Adrian.
"They won't believe it is veritably haunted unless you call up a ghost
to frighten them."
But they all protest in a body that they do not wish to hear any ghost
stories, so Sir Adrian laughingly refuses to comply with Ringwood's
request.
"Are we far from the other parts of the house?" asks Florence at length,
who has been examining some writing on the walls.
"So far that, if you were immured here, no cry, however loud, could
penetrate the distance," replies Sir Adrian. "You are as thoroughly
removed from the habitable parts of the castle as if you were in the
next county."
"How interesting!" observes Dora, with a little simper.
"The servants are so afraid of this room that they would not venture
here even by daylight," Sir Adrian goes on. "You can see how the dust of
years is on it. One might be slowly starved to death here without one's
friends being a bit the wiser."
He laughs as he says this, but, long afterward, his words come back to
his listeners' memories, filling their breasts with terror and despair.
"I wonder you don't have this dangerous lock removed," says Captain
Ringwood. "It is a regular trap. Some day you'll be sorry for it."
Prophetic words!
"Yes; I wish it were removed," responds Florence, with a strange quick
shiver.
Sir Adrian laughs.
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