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Page 28
Quickly they told the story of their trip to the ice cream parlor, and
of their late return, finding entrance by the little green door.
Of the lonely waiting, of the noises that had frightened them.
"Oh, Mr. Kirtland! That armor is standing just as it did when it was
daylight here, but truly we heard his sword rattle against his shield,
and once--" Rose's voice faltered.
"Once," said Polly, taking up the story, "we thought he walked across
the floor!"
"I have heard the same thing," was the quick reply, "and I am not at all
surprised that you were terrified."
Rose and Polly were grateful that he did not laugh or even look amused.
"But he COULDN'T walk," said Rose; "it's only an iron suit."
"Oh, he surely doesn't move," Arthur Kirtland said, and he smiled kindly
at the children, "but sometimes I think a tiny mouse mistakes it for a
huge cage and runs around in it, and as to his walking, the cars on the
railroad that runs back of the studio jar the building and shake the
suit of armor. I think that may be what you heard."
"Well, it sounds harmless enough when ye know what made the noise," John
said, with a laugh, "and now I guess ye'll be some willin' ter go home
ter Aunt Lois. The carriage is at the door."
"Oh, yes, yes!" they cried.
"A studio is a lovely place in the day-time," said Polly, "and the
pictures are beautiful then, but when it begins to be dark it's
DIFFERENT."
"Different! I guess that's so," said the coachman; "and now, come! We'll
drive home at a lively pace."
"Oh, doesn't it seem good to be safe!" cried Polly when, snugly seated
in the carriage, they saw that they were on their own familiar avenue.
"Yes, and we always like to be GOING somewhere, and now we're glad that
we're almost home," said Rose.
"I guess anybody would be glad to get away from that studio, if they'd
ever been in there alone when it gets darker and darker every minute,"
said Polly.
"Do you b'lieve Mr. Kirtland would dare to be there at night?"
questioned Rose.
"Why, he came there after us!" cried Polly, in surprise.
"Well, he had our coachman with him," Rose replied; "he didn't come
alone!"
"That's so," agreed Polly; "he couldn't be afraid with the coachman for
company!"
Aunt Lois was just beginning to think that she could not bear waiting to
hear from the searching party, when she heard little feet upon the
piazza, the music of merry voices, and when the maid opened the door,
Rose ran in, followed by Polly.
"Oh, please may I stay, 'm, to hear what happened to the two dears?"
pleaded Nora.
Aunt Lois smiled assent, and then Rose, with Polly's help, told the
story of the afternoon, of their return to the studio, of the terror
that seemed to fill shadowy corners when twilight came.
"And the noises! Oh, Aunt Lois, you don't know what strange sounds there
were in that studio! I love the pictures, and it's beautiful there in
the daylight, but I can't forget the fright we had, and I won't want to
go there again for, oh, a LONG time!" said Rose.
"We've told you how dark and lonely it was," added Polly, "but you'd
have to HEAR that armor clank to know how it sounded."
"I'm so deaf that some of the lesser noises would not have reached me,
and really that is the only mercy I know of in being deaf," Aunt Lois
said. "You've both been so completely frightened there, that I, too,
think you would better not go there for some time. Indeed, I wish
something very bright and cheery might occur that would turn your
thoughts from the studio."
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