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Chapter 4 FOUR

Word Count: 3181    |    Released on: 28/11/2017

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

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