Annie Haynes Premium Collection – 8 Murder Mysteries in One Volume. Annie Haynes

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СКАЧАТЬ say. This is one of the most complicated.”

      “Is it now—is it indeed?” The doctor stepped forward quickly. “Really, this is most interesting. A letter-lock! I have, as you say, heard of such things, but I have never seen one. How does it work, Sir Arthur?”

      The young man smiled.

      “Ah, that is my secret, Dr. Grieve. As I tell you, even if I gave you the key, you could not unlock the door.”

      “Ah, no. You must have the secret of the combination of the letters, must you not?” It was Hilda’s voice, but sounding so curiously strained and harsh that every one instinctively turned towards her. Her hand was pressed to her forehead, her eyes were wide-open, the pupils looking dark and dilated. “I think I have seen one like it before somewhere,” she said slowly, with a little fluttering gasp between each word. “A minute ago I thought I knew the word, but now I seem to forget again. Was it ‘Keep’?”

      “This is not,” Arthur said. “But I do not know—”

      Dr. Grieve glanced from him to Hilda meaningly. All his little mannerisms seemed to fall away for a moment.

      “Now I wonder what it is?” he went on benevolently after a momentary hesitation. “Something short, you think, Miss Hilda?—‘Safe’? How would that be? Very appropriate, I should say,” with a little laugh at his own joke.

      Moving forward almost like a person in a dream, Hilda put him aside and fumbled helplessly with the letters, as the others gathered round. “‘Luck,’ ‘Manor,’ ‘Keep’. No, no—they are not right! I cannot remember!” a distressed pucker coming between her brows, her lips trembling childishly. “Oh, I wish I could! I wish I could!”

      Dr. Grieve laid his hand on her arm.

      “Don’t try any more to-day, my dear young lady. Rest assured you will recall everything before long. I consider that you have made wonderful progress lately, I do indeed; and very soon I feel sure everything will come back to you. Well, Sir Arthur, you have shown us what care you take of the precious Blue Diamond, and I think I may say, speaking for all of us, that we are intensely obliged to you; but now I fancy we had better be making our way back to the drawing-room. I want to have a little talk with this young lady here,” patting Hilda’s hand in a fatherly fashion.

      He led the girl away without further ado, and the rest of the party followed, almost more interested in the promise of a solution of the mystery that had puzzled them all so long than in the precautions taken for the safeguarding of the Hargreave treasure.

      They watched eagerly as Dr. Grieve took Hilda across the drawing-room to a distant settee and seated himself beside her.

      Mrs. Mainwaring turned to Lady Laura; Garth crossed to Mavis, who was talking to the rector; Sir Arthur found himself close to Dorothy.

      “When are you coming back to the Manor, Dorothy?” he began, anxious to appear on the same friendly footing, but obviously ill at ease. “We miss you very much, little cousin. I don’t think you can be spared to the Leighs much longer.”

      The girl raised her eyes to his, smiling bravely.

      “I shall come for the birthday celebrations. Mavis has told me your news, Arthur. You must let me congratulate you and wish you both every happiness, though it is not public property yet.—I—I was not altogether taken by surprise—I had been expecting it.”

      “You are very kind, Dorothy.” To the girl who loved him Arthur’s embarrassment was painful. “You know it is by Hilda’s wish that it is not made known at once?”

      “Yes. Mavis said that Hilda wanted to wait till all was cleared up. One can understand that as well as your impatience, for she is very beautiful, Arthur. I hope she will let me be her friend too,” with a tiny catch in her voice.

      “We shall always think of you with Mavis,” he said. “I have always looked upon you as a dear little sister, Dorothy, and Hilda—”

      Dr. Grieve interrupted them.

      “The exigencies of a doctor must be my excuse for an early farewell, Sir Arthur; but before I go I must tell you that I have every hope that in a short time Miss Hilda will be quite restored. If she accidentally makes any allusion to the past do not appear to be surprised; lead her on to speak of it gently, and you will probably get the clue for which we are waiting. It is only a question of time. I consider the progress most satisfactory.”

      Chapter XIV

       Table of Contents

      “If you please, Sir Arthur, could you come into the houses for a minute? I am not quite satisfied with that new root from Chile. There’s a dryness—”

      “All right, Gregory, I will be back directly; I must just see the ladies to the house, and then—”

      Mavis stood still.

      “How absurd, Arthur! As if Hilda and I could not take care of ourselves for that little bit of a way! You can go at once, can’t he, Hilda? We shall be perfectly safe.”

      “Certainly! Please go,” Hilda agreed promptly. “Indeed, I would rather you did. We should feel obliged to hurry if we knew we were keeping you from your orchids, whereas Mavis and I can dawdle as much as we like, and I think it is lovely to be out in the gloaming.”

      “So do I,” agreed Mavis, putting her arm through the other girl’s. “Go on, Arthur, we will look after ourselves.”

      “Well, if you really do not mind,” Arthur conceded reluctantly. “I dare say I shall catch you up before you get to the house.”

      He hurried away. The two girls walked leisurely towards the house, laughing as they talked over the approaching festivities, for Arthur’s coming of age was only three weeks distant now; and though their engagement was a secret to the world at large the young man insisted that Hilda should be consulted with regard to all the arrangements. Lady Laura’s dislike to the whole affair had in no way abated, but, realizing her helplessness, she had ceased to offer any opposition, trusting that time might show Sir Arthur the folly of the proceeding.

      It seemed to Mavis sometimes, looking on, that his love for their beautiful visitor increased rather than diminished, and she had little faith in matters turning out as her mother wished. The longed-for improvement in Hilda’s memory had not taken place. Mavis very often doubted whether it ever would—the girl herself seemed so well now, so full of vitality in every way, save for that fatal blank in her recollection.

      Notwithstanding her real love for Dorothy and Garth Davenant’s avowed distrust of Hilda, Mavis had from the first fallen under the girl’s fascination to almost as great an extent as her brother, and Hilda had responded to her evident affection with a caressing, wayward wilfulness that the other girl found very winning.

      “Have you decided on your frock for the ball yet, Mavis?” Hilda asked as they turned through the shrubbery. “You really must make up your mind about the colour to-night and then let me arrange it all for you. I will write to Madame Sternforth and tell her just what I have designed for you. I know exactly how it ought to be made to suit your style and to charm Mr. Davenant,” she ended with a little laugh.

      Mavis СКАЧАТЬ