the marble country, you know. Vermont marble was plenty enough when this house was put up.”
“Let’s get in,” begged Vernie. “It isn’t as much fun as I thought it would be.”
They went, in a close group, up a short flight of broad marble steps and reached a wide portico, in the centre of which was a spacious vestibule indented into the building, and which stood within the main wall. Though the walls of the house were of marble, those of this vestibule were of panelled mahogany, and the entrance doorway was flanked on either side by large bronze columns, which stood half within and half without the mahogany wall.
“Some house!” exclaimed Tracy, in admiration of the beautiful details, which though worn and blackened by time, were of antique grandeur. “These bronze doors must have come from Italy. They’re marvellous. I’m glad I came.”
“Oh, do get in, Wynne,” wailed Milly. “You can examine the house to-morrow. I wish we hadn’t come!”
Landon was about to make search for knocker or bell, when one of the big bronze doors swung open, and a man peered out.
“You folks here?” he said, a bit unnecessarily. “Bring another lamp, Hester.”
“Yes, we’re here,” Landon assured him, “and we want to get in out of the wet!”
“Rainin’?” and the man stepped out of the door to look, blocking all ingress.
“No! that’s a figure of speech!” Landon’s nerves were on edge. “Open that door, – the other one, – let us in!”
“Go on in, who’s henderin’ you?” and the indifferent host stepped out of the way.
Landon went in first and Braye followed, as the others crowded after. At first they could see only a gloomy cavernous hall, its darkness accentuated by one small lamp on a table.
“Thought I wouldn’t light up till you got here,” and the man who had admitted them came in and closed the door. “I’m Stebbins, and here’s the keys. This is the house you’ve took, and Hester here will look after you. I’ll be goin’.”
“No, you won’t!” and Landon turned on him. “Why, man, we know nothing of this place. You stay till I dismiss you. I want a whole lot of information, but not till after we get lights and make the ladies comfortable.”
“Comfortable! At Black Aspens! Not likely.” The mocking laugh that accompanied these words struck terror to most of his hearers. “Nobody told me that you folks came up here to be comfortable.”
“Shut up!” Landon’s temper was near the breaking point. “Where’s that woman with the lamps? Where’s the man I engaged to look after things?”
“Hester, she’s here. She’ll be in in a minute. Thorpe, that’s her husband, he’s goin’ to be a sort of butteler for you, he can’t come till to-morrow. But Hester, she’s got supper ready, or will be, soon’s you can wash up and all.”
Hester came in then, a gaunt, hard-featured New England woman, who looked utterly devoid of any emotion and most intelligence.
Stebbins, on the other hand, was apparently of keen perceptions and average intellect. His small blue eyes roved from one face to another, and though he looked sullen and disagreeable of disposition, he gave the effect of one ready to do his duty.
“All right,” he said, as if without interest, “I’ll set in the kitchen and wait. Hester here, she’ll take the ladies to their rooms, and then after you get your supper, I’ll tell you all you ask me. But I rented this place to you, I didn’t agree to be a signboard and Farmers’ Almanac.”
“All right, old chap,” and Landon smiled faintly, “but don’t you get away till I see you. Now, girls, want to select your rooms?”
“Y-Yes,” began Eve, bravely, and then a glance up the dark staircase made her shudder.
“What we want is light, – and plenty of it,” broke in Braye. “Here you, Hester, I’ll relieve you of that lamp you’re holding, and you hop it, and get more, – six more, – twelve more – hear me?”
“We haven’t that many in the house.” Dull-eyed the woman looked at him with that sublime stolidity only achieved by born New Englanders.
“Oh, you haven’t! Well, bring all you have and to-morrow you manage to raise a lot more. How many have you, all told?”
“Four, I think.”
“Four! For a party of nine! Well, have you candles?”
“Half a dozen.”
“And three candlesticks, I suppose! Bring them in, and if you’re shy of candlesticks, bring old bottles, – or anything.”
“Good for you, Braye, didn’t know you had so much generalship,” and Gifford Bruce clapped his nephew on the shoulder. “I’m glad I don’t believe in ghosts, for every last one of you people are shaking in your shoes this minute! What’s the matter with you? Nothing has happened.”
“It was that awful ride through the woods,” said Vernie, cuddling into her uncle’s arm. “I l-like it, – I like it all, – but, the local colour is so – so dark!”
“That’s it, Kiddie,” said Braye, “the local colour is about the murkiest I ever struck. But here are our lights, hooray!”
Hester brought two more small hand lamps, and after another trip to the kitchen brought six candles and six battered but usable candlesticks.
A candle was given to each of the four women, and Norma politely selected the oldest and most broken holder.
“Land sake!” exclaimed Stebbins, coming in, “you goin’ to use that candlestick? That’s the very one the murderin’ woman used!”
With a scream, Norma dropped it and no one moved to pick it up.
“Get out, Stebbins!” roared Landon, “you queer the whole business.”
“I’ll take this one,” and Mr. Bruce picked up the old brass affair; “I’m not afraid of such things. Here, Miss Cameron, take mine, it’s new and commonplace, I assure you.”
White-faced and trembling, Norma took the cheap crockery thing, and shortly they all followed Hester up the stairs to the shadows of the floor above.
The place was silent as the grave. Hester’s slippered feet made no sound, and a voluntary scraping of Tracy’s shoes stopped as soon as he realized its enormous sound in those empty halls. A multitude of doors led to rooms in all directions, there seemed to be no plan or symmetry of any sort. The candle flames flickered, the small lamps burned with a pale sickly light.
Hester paused midway of the main corridor.
“What rooms you want?” she asked, uninterestedly.
“Give me a cheerful one,” wailed Milly. “Oh, Wynne, let us take a little, cozy one.”
“Of course you shall,” said Braye, kindly. “Hester, which is the pleasantest room in the house? Give that to Mr. and Mrs. Landon! And then we’ll put all you girls near them. The rest of us will camp anywhere.”
“Let’s all pretty much camp anywhere till to-morrow,” suggested the Professor. “I’d like to select my room by daylight.”
“I’ve made up some of the rooms, and some I ain’t,” volunteered Hester.
“Then, for Heaven’s sake, show us the made-up rooms, and get out!” burst forth Landon. “I wish we’d brought our maids, Milly; that woman affects me like fever and ague.”
But after a time they were assigned to various more or less inhabitable bedrooms, and as quickly as possible, all reappeared in the great hall below, ready for supper.
The dining room, toward the back of the house, was not half bad, after all the available lights had been commandeered for the table.
“You knew there were no electrics,” said Braye