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Page 20
The young man drew a cigar from his case and put it unlit
between his teeth.
"Cheerful, isn't it?" he growled.
"These dead leaves make it damp as a tomb. If I've seen one
ghost, I've seen a dozen. I believe we're standing in the
Carey family's graveyard."
"I thought you were brave," said the girl.
"I am," returned the young man, "very brave. But if you had
the most wonderful girl on earth to take care of in the
grounds of a madhouse at two in the morning, you'd be scared
too."
He was abruptly surprised by Miss Forbes laying her hand
firmly upon his shoulder, and turning him in the direction of
the house. Her face was so near his that he felt the uneven
fluttering of her breath upon his cheek.
"There is a man," she said, "standing behind that tree."
By the faint light of the stars he saw, in black silhouette, a
shoulder and head projecting from beyond the trunk of a huge
oak, and then quickly withdrawn. The owner of the head and
shoulder was on the side of the tree nearest to themselves,
his back turned to them, and so deeply was his attention
engaged that he was unconscious of their presence.
"He is watching the house," said the girl. "Why is he doing
that?"
"I think it's Fred," whispered the man. "He's afraid to go
for the water. That's as far as he's gone." He was about to
move forward when from the oak tree there came a low whistle.
The girl and the man stood silent and motionless. But they
knew it was useless; that they had been overheard. A voice
spoke cautiously.
"That you?" it asked.
With the idea only of gaining time, the young man responded
promptly and truthfully. "Yes," he whispered.
"Keep to the right of the house," commanded the voice.
The young man seized Miss Forbes by the wrist and moving to
the right drew her quickly with him. He did not stop until
they had turned the corner of the building, and were once more
hidden by the darkness.
"The plot thickens," he said. "I take it that that fellow is
a keeper, or watchman. He spoke as though it were natural
there should be another man in the grounds, so there's
probably two of them, either to keep Carey in, or to keep
trespassers out. Now, I think I'll go back and tell him that
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water, and
that all they want is to be allowed to get the water, and go."
"Why should a watchman hide behind a tree?" asked the girl.
"And why----"
She ceased abruptly with a sharp cry of fright. "What's
that?" she whispered.
"What's what?" asked the young man startled. "What did you
hear?"
"Over there," stammered the girl. "Something--that--groaned."
"Pretty soon this will get on my nerves," said the man. He
ripped open his greatcoat and reached under it. "I've been
stoned twice, when there were women in the car," he said,
apologetically, "and so now at night I carry a gun." He
shifted the darkened torch to his left hand, and, moving a few
yards, halted to listen. The girl, reluctant to be left
alone, followed slowly. As he stood immovable there came from
the leaves just beyond him the sound of a feeble struggle, and
a strangled groan. The man bent forward and flashed the
torch. He saw stretched rigid on the ground a huge
wolf-hound. Its legs were twisted horribly, the lips drawn
away from the teeth, the eyes glazed in an agony of pain. The
man snapped off the light. "Keep back!" he whispered to the
girl. He took her by the arm and ran with her toward the
gate.
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