TORM
of the dining room in its scurrying flight, and narrowly escaped oversetting her glass of water with a nervous start. The tension of waiting-waiting-for some vague menace which might not materialize after all-had begun to prey on her nerves. She saw Dale off to the country club with relief-the girl looked a little better af
me in her sensible life, she listened for creakings of woodwork, rustling of leaves, stealthy steps outside, b
d to herself with a shiver. "Even the night-whenever I look out, it seems to me
ns she had based upon it adequate and sensible in the normal light of day. But now the light of day had been blotted out and with it her security. Her plans seemed weapons of paper against the sinis
fingers. Knit two-purl two-Her hands fell into the accustomed rhythm mechanically-a spy, peering in through the French
h her, she simply wouldn't. But she was very gla
s Ne
s voice was composed but her
was plaintive. "I've been sitting out in the kitchen watching that Jap read hi
ly. "Though," she added doubtfully, "I really sho
ase, Mis
sit here, Lizzie-and help me work the ouija-board.
ouch that uncanny ouijie!" she said dolefully. "It
you'd rather sit in
nes of heartbreak. "I'd rather be shot and
start," she said. "You might call up the light company in the meantime, Lizzie-there seems to be a storm coming up and I want to find out if
hat's what it is-turning off all the lights in a haunted house, l
zzi
e in ghosts-and yet-there were things one couldn't explain by logic. Was there something like that in this house-a shadow walking the corridors-a vague shape of evil, drifting like mist from
little gesture. Lizzie had just finished her
, Liz
hey turned off the lights last night because there was a storm threate
f thunder punct
g off again to-night." She took an unc
htened on each other. Darkness-darkness inside this house of whispers to mat
some candles, Lizzie
dows. At Miss Cornelia's command she gave a littl
to go out in that hall alone
lia found vent for her feel
er with you anyh
wn tones infected Lizzie
he pleaded. "I don't like it!
said firmly. Her eyes sought Lizzie's, striving to pour some of her own inflexible courage into the
she breathed in a ghastly whisper
arply. "What nonsense!" but she, looked over her shoulder as she said it
r grip on Miss Cornelia relaxing. She began to look a trifle
"You get nervous out here at night whenever a cricket be
orn and began to move gingerly toward the alcove d
n that, Miss Neily
as going to behave like this, they might as well
ee last night?" she sa
iously preferred discussing any subject at any length to brav
manner of one who embarks upon the narration of an epic. "Standing there with your switch in my hand, Miss Neily-and then
ss Cornelia skeptically. She snor
yes still fixed upon its haunted stairs. "Why do you think the servants left so sudden this morning?"
tress with a long, pointed forefin
ad any twins," she said impressively. "No, Miss Neily, they couldn
dding her head, an Irish Cassandra
aken by the recital than she would have admitted. S
e is it?"
mantel clock. "Half-
mally. She felt as if the last two
wreck when she does come home. She rolled up her knitting and put it back in her knitting-bag; it was no use going on, doing work that would have to be ripped out again and yet she m
for ghosts! There's nothing in that sort of thing." She smiled-she would punish Lizzie for her obdur
yer book on it to keep it quiet!" she groaned, jerkin
rnelia implacably; then as Li
er book, and took down the ouija-board. Even then she would not carry it normally but bore it over to Miss Cornelia at
's lap with a sigh of relief. "You can do it y
, Lizzie Allen!" Miss Cornelia's voi
carefully chose the farthest chair in the room and took a l
she muttered. "I've been your goat for twent
. "You haven't got a mind
ling fingers on the little moving table that is used to point to the letters on the board its
a blank!" she comm
en't got any mind,"
magnificently, "make what
ss Cornelia had settled herself comfortably and tried to make her mind a suitable r
when you were a vegetarian-I stood by you when you were a theosophist-and I seen you thr
ornelia. "Nothing will com
and a desolate clicking of artificial molars attested the truth of the remark. Then, to Miss Cornelia's relief, she was silent for
e way up my arms," she whispered in awed accen
d, of course-yet now her own fingers felt prickly, uncanny. Ther
tly, "is Lizzie Allen right about this
ined anchored to its resting plac
tones of pure horror as the little po
shove
lued rigidly and awkwardly to the ouija. As the movements of the pointer grew mor
re was a pause of a few seconds while the poi
ed Miss Cornelia trying to
spirits that might be present by inappropriate laughter. The ouija continued to move-more letters-what wa
moving: She took her
w Lizzie was taking it. But the latter seemed too relieved to have her hands
hows it's spirits. There's been a bat
entatively, obviously hopin
ep in your room tonight! It's only when my jaw drop
tever it was, it was-nerve-shaking. She put the ouija-board aside. Accident or not, she was done with it for the evening. But she could not so easily dispose of the Bat. Sending a protesting Lizzie off for her re
th eerie fascination, reading bits
ity-so far there is no clue to his identity-'" Pleasant reading for an old woman who's just received a threatening lett
r-honored in his community by day and at night a bloodthirsty assassin-'" The print blurred before her eyes, she could read no m
utcher knife to bed with
she remarked. "I wish I were a man. I'd like to see any lawyer, Doctor, or
than that," Lizzie observed. "I guess it rest
cher of water and some glasses on it. Miss Cornelia watched his impassive progress, wondering if the Oriental races ever felt terror-she could not imagine all Lizzie's b
ffhand voice. She had not really discussed the departure of the other servants with
ss. "Maybe she have twins," he admitted.
was any other reas
said Bill
at was th
use haunted." Billy's repl
laugh. "You know better th
unruffled. He neither admitted nor
ally. "Find window open-nobody
gle, startling bang from the kitchen