CHAPTER XI. A QUERULOUS OLD AUNT
It was daylight when the girls awakened and the sun was streaming intotheir bedroom. Nann leaped to her feet. "It must be late," she declaredas she felt under her pillow for her wristwatch. She drew it forth, butwith it came a piece of crumpled yellow paper on which in small redletters was written, "In twelve days you shall know all."
Dories luckily had not as yet opened her eyes and Nann was sitting on theedge of the bed with her back toward her companion. For a moment shelooked into space meditatively. Should she keep all knowledge of that bitof paper to herself? She decided that she would, and slipping it into thepocket of her sweater-coat, which hung on a chair, she rose and walkedacross the room to gaze at the door. She remembered distinctly that shehad locked it. How could anyone have entered? Not for one moment did thegirl believe that their visitor had been a ghostly apparition that couldpass through walls and locked doors.
"Hmm! I see," she concluded after a second's scrutiny. "I did lock thedoor, but I removed the key and put it on the table. A pass-key evidentlyadmitted our visitor." Then, while dressing, Nann continued tosoliloquize. "I wonder if the person who walks the cliff carrying thelantern was our visitor. Perhaps it's the old Colonel himself or hisman-servant who hides during the day under the leaning part of the roof,but who walks forth at night for exercise and air, although surely theremust be air enough in a house that has only one wall."
Having completed her toilet, she shook her friend. "If you don't wake upsoon, you won't be downstairs in time for breakfast," she exclaimed.
Dories sat up with a startled cry. "Oh, Nann," she pleaded. "Don't godown and leave me up here alone, please don't! I'll be dressed before youcan say Jack Robinson, if only you will wait."
"Well, I'll be opening this window. I want to see the ocean." As Nannspoke, she lifted the hook and swung out the blind, then exclaimed:
"How wonderfully blue the water is! Oho, someone is out in the cove witha flat-bottomed boat. Why, I do believe it is our friend Gibralter. Cometo think of it, he did say that he had been saving his money for ever solong to buy what he calls a sailing punt."
Nann leaned out of the open window and waved her handkerchief. Then sheturned back to smile at her friend. "It is Gib and he's sailing towardshore. Do hurry, Dori, let's run down to the beach and call to him."
Tiptoeing down the flight of stairs, the two girls, taking hands,scrambled over the bank to the hard sand that was glistening in the sun.
The boy, having seen them, turned his boat toward shore, and, as therewas very little wind, he let the sail flap and began rowing.
The tide was low and there was almost no surf.
"Want to come out?" he called as soon as he was within hailing distance.
"Oh, how I wish we could," Nann, the fearless, replied, "but we haveduties to attend to first. Come back in about an hour and maybe we'll beready to go."
"All right-ho!" the sea breeze brought to them, then the lad turned intothe rising wind, pulled in the sheet and scudded away from the shore.
"That surely looks like jolly sport," Nann declared as, with arms locked,the two girls stood on a boulder, watching for a moment. Then, "We oughtto go in, for Great-Aunt Jane may have awakened," Dories said.
When the girls tiptoed to the chamber on the lower floor, they found MissMoore unusually fretful. "What a noisy night it was," she declared,peevishly. "I came to this place for a complete rest and I just couldn'tsleep a wink. I don't see why you girls have to walk around in the night.Don't you know that you are right over my head and every noise you makesounds as though it were right in this very room?"
"I'm sorry you were disturbed, Aunt Jane," Dories said, but she wasindeed puzzled. Neither she nor Nann had awakened from the hour that theyretired until sunrise.
When the girls were in the kitchen preparing breakfast, Dories asked,"Nann, do you think that Great-Aunt Jane may be--I don't like to say it,but you know how elderly people do, sometimes, wander mentally."
"No, dear," the other replied, "I do not think that is true of youraunt." Then chancing to put her hand in the pocket of her sweater-coat,and feeling there the crumpled paper, Nann drew it out and handed it toDories.
"Why, where did you find it?" that astonished maiden inquired when shehad read the finely written words, "In twelve days you shall know all."
"Under my pillow," was the reply, "and so you see who ever leaves thesemessages has no desire to harm us, hence there is no reason for us to beafraid. At first I thought that I would not tell you, but I want you tounderstand that your Great Aunt Jane may have heard footsteps over herhead last night, even though we did not awaken."
"Well, if you are not afraid, I'll try not to be," Dories assured herfriend, but in her heart she knew that she would be glad indeed when thetwelve days were over.
Later when Dories went into her aunt's room to remove the breakfast tray,she bent over the bed to arrange the pillows more comfortably. Then shetripped about, tidying the room. Chancing to turn, she found the dark,deeply sunken eyes of the elderly woman watching her with an expressionthat was hard to define. Jane Moore smiled faintly at the girl, and therewas a tone of wistfulness in her voice as she said, "I suppose you andNann will be away all day again."
"Why, Aunt Jane," Dories heard herself saying as she went to the bedside,"were you lonely? Would you like to have me stay for a while this morningand read to you?"
Even as she spoke she seemed to see her mother's smiling face and hearher say, "The only ghosts that haunt us are the memories of loving deedsleft undone and kind words that might have been spoken." As yet Dorieshad not even thought of trying to do anything to add to her aunt'spleasure. She was gratified to see the brightening expression. "Well,that would be nice! If you will read to me until I fall asleep, I shallindeed be glad."
Nann, who had come to the door, had heard, and, as the girls left theroom, she slipped an arm about her friend, saying, "That was mighty niceof you, Dori, for I know how much pleasanter it would be for you to gofor a boat ride with Gibralter. I'll stay with you if you wish."
"No, indeed, Nann. You go and see if you can't find another clue to themystery."
"I feel in my bones that we will," that maiden replied as she poured hotwater over the few breakfast dishes. "It would be rather a good jokeon--well--on the ghost, if we solved the mystery sooner than twelve days.Don't you think so?"
"But there are so many things that puzzle us," Dories protested. "I wishwe might catch whoever it is leaving those messages. That, at least,would be one mystery solved."
"I'll tell you what," Nann said brightly. "Let's put on our thinking capsand try to find some way to trap the ghost tonight. Well, good-bye fornow! Gib and I will be back soon, I am sure. I'm just wild to go for alittle sail with him in his queer punt boat."
Dories stood in the open front door watching as her friend ran lightlyacross the hard sand, climbed to a boulder and beckoned to the boy whowas not far away.
With a half sigh Dories went into her aunt's room. Catching a glimpse ofher own reflection in a mirror she was surprised to behold a fretfulexpression which plainly told that she was doing something that she didnot want to do in the least. She smiled, and then turning toward the bed,she asked, "What shall I read, Aunt Jane?"
"Are there any books in the living room?" the elderly woman inquired. Thegirl shook her head. "There are shelves, but the books have beenremoved."
There was a sudden brightening of the deeply sunken eyes. "I recall now,"the older woman said, "the books were packed in a box and taken up to theloft. Suppose you go up there and select any book that you would like toread."
For one panicky moment Dories felt that she must refuse to go alone tothat loft room which she believed was haunted. She had never been upthere without Nann.
"Well, are you going?" The inquiry was not impatient, but it was puzzled."Yes, Aunt Jane, I'll go at once." There was nothing for the girl to dobut go. Taking the k
ey from its place in the kitchen, she began to ascendthe outdoor stairway. How she did wish that she were as fearless as Nann.
The door opened when the key turned, and Dories stood looking about heras though she half believed that someone would appear, either from underthe bed or from behind the curtains that sheltered one corner.
There was no sound, and, moreover, the loft room was flooded withsunlight. The box, holding the books, was readily found. Doriesapproached it, lifted the cover and was about to search for aninteresting title when a mouse leaped out, scattering gnawed bits ofpaper. Seizing the book on top, Dories fled.
"What is the matter?" her aunt inquired when, almost breathless, the girlentered her room.
"Oh--I--I thought it was--but it wasn't--it was only a mouse."
"Of course it was only a mouse," Miss Moore said. "I sincerely hope thata niece of mine is not a coward."
"I hope not, Aunt Jane." Then the girl for the first time glanced at thebook she held. The title was "Famous Ghost Stories of England andIreland."
"Very entertaining, indeed," the elderly woman remarked, as she settledback among the pillows, and there was nothing for Dories to do but readone hair-raising tale after another. Often she glanced at herwrist-watch. It was almost noon. Why didn't Nann come?