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Page 26
"There is no human being in this house for whom I would not answer."
"I know it. We beat the wind. It will be time enough to consider
presently. Indeed, I should rather that you strove to relieve your
mind of the problem. You have enough to do without that. Leave it
to those professionally trained in such mysteries. If a man is
responsible for this atrocious thing, then it should be within the
reach of man's wits to find him. We failed before; but this time
no casual examination of this place, or the antecedents of your
son-in-law's life, will serve the purpose. We must go to the
bottom, or, rather, skilled minds, trained to do so, must go to the
bottom. They will approach the subject from a different angle.
They will come unprejudiced and unperturbed. If there has been
foul play, they will find it out. In my opinion it is incredible
that they will be baffled."
"The best men engaged in such work must come to help us. I cannot
bring myself to believe the room is haunted, and that this is the
operation of an evil force outside Nature, yet permitted by the
Creator to destroy human life. The idea is too horrible--it
revolts me, Mannering."
"Well, it may do so. Banish any such irrational thought from your
mind. It is not worthy of you. I must go now. I will telegraph
to London--to Sir Howard Fellowes--also, I think to the State
authorities on forensic medicine. A Government analyst must do
his part. Shall I communicate with Scotland Yard to-day?"
"Leave that until the evening. You will come again to see Mary,
please."
"Mosr certainly I shall. At three o'clock I should have a reply
to my messages. I will go into Newton Abbot and telephone from
there."
"I thank you, Mannering. I wish it were possible to do more myself.
My mind is cruelly shaken. This awful experience has made an old
man of me."
"Don't say that. It is awful enough, I admit. But life is full
of awful things. Would that you might have escaped them!"
"Henry will help you, if it is in his power. It would be well if
we could give him something to do. He feels guilty in a way. I
have little time to observe other people; but--"
"He's all right. He can run into Newton with me now. It looks to
me as though his own life had hung on the pitch of a coin. They
tossed up! After that--so he tells me--he tried to dissuade
your son-in-law, but failed. Lennox is rather cowed and dismayed--
naturally. The young, however, survive mental and physical
disasters and recover in the most amazing manner. Their mental
recuperation is on a par with their bodily powers of recovery.
Nature is on their side. Let me urge you to go down and take food.
If you can even lunch with your party I should. It will distract
your mind."
Sir Walter declared that he had intended to do so.
"I am an old soldier," he said. "It shall not be thought I evade
my obligations for personal sorrow. As for this room, it is
accursed and I am in a mind to destroy it utterly."
"Wait--wait. We shall see what our fellow-men can find out for us.
Do not think, because I am practical and business-like, I am not
feeling this. Seldom have I had such a shock in nearly forty years'
work. You know, without my telling you, how deep and heartfelt is
my sympathy. I feel for you both from my soul."
"I am sure of that. I will try and forget myself for the present.
I must go to my guests. I am very sorry for them also. It is a
fearful experience to crash upon their party of pleasure."
"I hope Travers may stay. He is a comfort to you, is he not?"
"Nobody can be a comfort just now. I shall not ask him to stay.
Fortunately Henry is here. He will stop for the present. Mary is
all that matters. I shall take her away as quickly as possible
and devote my every thought to her."
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