CHAPTER VII The Mystery
In the panic-stricken moments that followed the realization of the doubletragedy, the natural characteristics of all those present showedthemselves. Eve Carnforth, strong and calm, suddenly becameself-appointed dictator.
"Lay Mr. Bruce flat on his back," she called out, as she darted upstairsfor her room, and returned with smelling salts, ammonia and such things.
Tracy, also capable and self-possessed, took a vial from her and held itbefore the face of the stricken child, while others strove to bring backto consciousness the motionless figure of Gifford Bruce, now stretched onthe floor.
"It's no use," declared Landon, flinging the beads of sweat from hisforehead, "they are dead,--both of them. Oh, what _does_ it mean?"
Norma sat in a big chair, her hands clutching its carved arms, and herface stony white. She was using all her will power to keep from uttercollapse, and she couldn't understand how Eve could be so natural andself-possessed.
"Brace up, Norma," Eve admonished her; "here, take this salts-bottle. Nowis no time to make more trouble!"
The brusque words had the effect of rousing Norma, and she forced herselfto rise.
"What can I do?" she whispered.
"Do!" cried Eve, "there's everything to do! Some one telephone for adoctor!"
"I--can't," Norma moaned. "You do that, Professor,--won't you?"
"Oh, I can't!" and Hardwick fell limply into a chair. "I--I'm allupset----"
"Of course you are, Professor," said Tracy, kindly. "I'll telephone, MissCarnforth. Do you know the village doctor's name? Of course,--it's toolate----" he glanced at the two still forms, "but a physician must besummoned."
"No, I don't know any name,--call Thorpe, or Hester."
Tracy rang a bell and Thorpe came shuffling in.
At sight of the tragedy, he turned and ran, screaming. Hester came, andproved the more useful of the two. Her stolidity was helpful, and shetold the doctor's name and number.
"Dead, ain't they?" she said, with a grieved intonation that robbed herwords of curtness. "What happened to 'em?"
The simple question roused them all. What had happened? What had killedtwo strong, well, able-bodied people at the same moment, and that thevery moment said to be fatal in that dread house?
"I believe," said the Professor, dropping his face in his hands, "Ibelieve now in the supernatural. Nothing else can explain this thing."
"Of course not," and Eve solemnly acquiesced. "There is no possibility ofanything else. What could kill them, like this, at once, and at fouro'clock exactly, except a supernormal agent?"
"But that seems so impossible!" and Tracy's practical, matter-of-factvoice did indeed make it seem so.
"What else _is_ possible?" broke in Landon. "It isn't suicide, it isn'tmurder. It isn't death from natural causes,--at least, it can't be inVernie's case,--I suppose Mr. Bruce might have died from heart disease."
"That's why we want a doctor," said Eve. "We can judge nothing until weknow the immediate cause of death."
"I wish we were in the city," Tracy said; "the doctor will be nearly anhour getting here, I suppose."
"Did you tell him all?" asked Eve.
"No, I didn't. It didn't seem wise to spread the news in that way. I toldhim to get here as soon as he possibly could,--that it was a matter oflife and death."
"Which it certainly is," murmured Norma. "Oh, Eve, what do you reallythink?"
Eve Carnforth looked at the other girl. Eve, so poised and collected,strength and will power written in every line of her face,--Norma sofragile, and shaken by the awful scenes about her.
"I don't know what to think," Eve replied, slowly. "There's only onething certain, Vernie received a warning of death,--and Vernie is dead.Mr. Bruce received no definite warning, that I know of, but he may havehad one. You know, he said he was visited by the phantom, but we wouldn'tbelieve him."
"That's so!" and Tracy looked up in surprise. "We never quite believedMr. Bruce's statements, because he scorned all talk of spiritmanifestations. If he really did see the ghost that night that he said hedid----"
"Of course he did," declared Eve. "_I_ believed him all the time. I canalways tell when any one is speaking the truth. It's part of my sensitivenature."
Wynne Landon stalked about the hall like a man in torment. "What shall Ido with Milly?" he groaned. "She and Braye will be back soon,--any minutenow. She mustn't see these----"
"They ought to be placed in some other room," said Eve, gently.
"One mustn't touch a dead body before----" began Professor Hardwick, butTracy interrupted him. "That's in case of murder, Professor," he said;"this is a different matter. Whatever caused these deaths, it wasn't bythe hand of another human being. If it was fright or nervousapprehension, Those are to be classed among natural causes. I think weare wholly justified in moving the bodies."
After some discussion, Landon and the Professor agreed with Tracy, andwith the help of Thorpe and Hester, the stricken forms were carried outof the hall, where the group so often forgathered.
"It is better," said Eve, "for we need this hall continually, and if wedon't move them at once, the doctor may forbid it, when he comes."
By common consent, the body of Gifford Bruce was laid in the drawingroom, on a large sofa, and Vernie's slender figure was reverently placedon the bed in the Room with the Tassels.
"No spirit shape can frighten her now," said Norma, weeping bitterly, asThorpe and Hester carried the dead girl in. Then both doors were closed,shutting off the silent figures, and those who were left felt a vaguesense of relief.
"Now we can break it to Milly more gently," said Eve. "Clear away thatbroken cup, Hester, and make some fresh tea, I'm sure we all need it."
On the great rug the damp spot remained where the spilled tea had fallen,and Eve ordered a smaller rug placed over it.
Braye and Milly came in laughing.
"We've bought out the whole of East Dryden!" Milly exclaimed, "and whatdo you think? We found some fresh lobsters, still alive and kicking,--andwe commandeered them at once. What's the matter with you people? You looksolemn as owls!"
"Come up to your room, Milly, to take off your wraps," and Landon tookher arm to lead her away.
"Nonsense, Wynne, I'll throw them off down here. I'm thirsty for tea."
"No; come on, dear. Come with me."
Awed at his tone, Milly went with him, and they disappeared up thestaircase.
Then Professor Hardwick told Braye what had happened. The others hadbegged the Professor to do this, and in a very few words the tale wastold.
"It can't be!" and Braye rose and walked up and down the hall. "I wish Ihad been here! Oh, forgive me, all of you, I know you did all youcould,--but--restoratives----"
"We did," said Eve, "I ran for sal volatile and such things, but youdon't understand,--it was instantaneous,--wasn't it, Mr. Tracy?"
"It was," replied Tracy, gravely. "Mr. Bruce was speaking, naturally andnormally. He paused when the clock struck,--we 'most always do, you know,it's a sort of habit."
"We have to, really," said Norma. "That clock strikes so loudly, onecan't go on talking."
"And then," began the Professor, "he was talking to me, you know, and Iwas looking straight at him, his face changed in an instant, his fingersspread, as if galvanized, his teacup fell from his hand, and in a moment,he was gone! Yes, dead in a second, I should say."
"And--Vernie?" Braye spoke with difficulty.
"I chanced to be looking at Vernie," said Mr. Tracy. "The outcryconcerning Mr. Bruce made us all look toward him, and then, a suddensound from Vernie drew my attention to her. She gasped, and her facelooked queer,--sort of drawn and gray,--so I sprang to her side, and heldher up, lest she fall. She was standing, looking at Mr. Bruce, of course.I felt her sway, her head fell back, and then Miss Carnforth came to myassistance, and we laid her quickly down on the sofa. In an instant, thechild was dead. It is incredible that it sho
uld have been a case ofsudden fright that proved fatal, and yet, what other theory is there? Itcouldn't be heart disease in a child of sixteen!"
"No," mused Braye, "and yet, what could it have been? I won't subscribeto any supernatural theory now! It's too absurd!"
"It's the only thing that isn't absurd!" contradicted Eve. "Remember,Rudolph, Vernie had the warning----"
"Warning be hanged!" cried Braye, explosively.
"But think," went on Eve, gently, "the phantom told Vernie she would dieat four o'clock----"
"Four o'clock in the morning, Vernie said! If I had thought of four inthe afternoon, I wouldn't have gone out!"
"Nobody knows that the message said four in the morning. Vernie told meabout it many times, and she only said _four_. You know, the phantomspoke no word, it merely designated by its fingers,--one, two, three,four! Also, Vernie said it carried two glasses of poison."
"But _they_ weren't poisoned!"
"No; that was merely the symbol of death. Also, Rudolph, remember theOuija board said two would die at four. You can't get away from thesethings!"
"That confounded Ouija performance was on one of the nights I was in NewYork! I wish I hadn't gone! But Vernie promised me she wouldn't sleep inthat room. I was a fool to believe her. You see, Eve, I feel a sort ofresponsibility for the child. Uncle Gif was so easy-going andindulgent,--he was no sort of a guardian for her, now she was growing up.I planned to have her put under the care of some right kind of a womanthis fall, and brought up properly."
"I know it, Rudolph; you were very fond of her."
"Not only that, but I appreciated what she needed, and I meant to seethat she got it. Oh, Eve, I can't realize this thing."
Doctor Wayburn came in. It was plain to be seen the man was scared. Inhis years of country practice he had never run up against anything tragicor thrilling before, and he was overwhelmed. With trembling step heentered the room of death, and first made examination of the body ofGifford Bruce. It did not take long. There was no apparent cause fordeath. No symptoms were present of any fatal disease, nor, so far as hecould see, of any poison or wound of any sort.
"I cannot say what an autopsy may divulge," declared the frightenedpractitioner, "but from this superficial examination, I find no cause ofdissolution."
Then he crossed the hall, to the Room with the Tassels.
Braye followed him in, Eve also. The Professor and Tracy stood in thedoorway, but Norma remained in the hall, her face buried in some sofacushions.
"No apparent cause," the Doctor repeated. "This child was in perfecthealth; I should say fright _might_ have killed her, but it doesn't seemcredible. I know of no cause of any sort, that could bring about death inan instant of time, as you report."
"Maybe not an instant," corrected the Professor, carefully. "As I lookback, I should judge there was at least a half a minute between Mr.Bruce's first symptom of unease, and his falling to the floor."
"So with Vernie," said Eve, thoughtfully. "I saw Mr. Tracy go quicklytoward her; I followed immediately, and I'm sure there was nearly a halfminute, but not more, before she gasped and died."
"It's hard to judge time on such occasions," said the Doctor, lookingsharply at Eve.
"I know it, but I was very conscious of it all, almost clairvoyantly so,and I can assure you it was not longer than a half minute in either case,between the state of usual health and death itself. Is there any cause oragent that will work as quickly as that?"
"I know of none," replied Doctor Wayburn, positively.
"There is none," Eve assured him. "These deaths were caused bysupernatural means, they were the vengeance of certain Powers ofDarkness."
"Oh, come now, Eve," expostulated Braye, "don't get off that stuff to theDoctor. Keep that for our own circle. You know these fatalities_couldn't_ have been caused by a ghost!"
"What, then?"
"I don't know. Fright, perhaps, or over-apprehension because of thewarnings. Auto-suggestion, if you like, and so indirectly the result ofthe spooks, but not the direct work of a disembodied spirit."
"It _was_, all the same!" and Eve left the room and went to sit by Norma.
But the girls were not in sympathy. Their conversation resulted indisagreement, and, at last, in Norma's bursting into tears and runningupstairs.
She sought Milly, and found her prostrated by Landon's news. But she wastrying to be brave, and earnestly endeavouring to preserve herself-control.
"I know every one thinks I'll go to pieces," she said, pathetically, "andmake more trouble for you all,--but I won't. I've promised Wynne I'll bebrave and if I can't keep quiet and composed, I'll stay in my room, andnot upset the crowd."
"You're all right, Milly," Norma reassured her, "you let yourself go allyou want to. Don't overdo your restraint. I'll look after you."
"Yes, do, Norma. Don't let Eve come near me. I can't stand her!"
"Why? You mustn't be unjust to Eve. She behaved splendidly at that awfultime."
"Yes, I know. But if it hadn't been for Eve we never would have come uphere at all."
"Oh, Milly, that isn't fair! We all agreed to come here. It wasn't Eve'sdoing any more than mine!"
"Yes, it was. But, look here, Norma, tell me truly. What do _you_ thinkkilled Mr. Bruce and Vernie?"
"I don't know, Milly, dear. You know I do believe in psychics and inspiritism and in the return to earth of the souls of people who havedied, but--I _can't_ believe that any such spirit would kill an innocentchild, or a fine old man. I can't _believe_ it!"
"But why not, Norma? If you believe in the return to earth of goodspirits, why not bad spirits, as well? And if so, why couldn't they killpeople, if they want to?"
"You sound logical, Milly, but it's absurd."
"No, it isn't. You and Eve believe in good spirits and in their power todo good. Why not, then, in bad spirits and their power to do evil?"
"Let up, Milly," begged Landon, who stood near by. "She's been going onlike that, Norma, ever since I told her. Can't you explain to her----"
"Explain what?"
"Lord! _I_ don't know! But make her see how impossible it is that theghost of that woman who killed her husband here so long ago, should haveany reason to do away with two modern present-day people!"
"But I _want_ to think so, Wynne," and Milly's eyes stared with apeculiar light. "I'd rather think they were killed by that ghost than bya person,--wouldn't you?"
"What do you mean, Milly? Murdered?"
"Yes, Eve. That's what it must have been, if not spirits. They had nomortal disease, either of them."
"Don't mention that before any one else," admonished Eve, very seriously."There are other explanations, Milly. Many deaths have been brought aboutby sudden fright or by continuous apprehension of imaginary danger.Vernie had been warned twice. True, I didn't think of four in theafternoon, but doubtless she did, and maybe, seeing the sudden attack ofMr. Bruce, so startled her that she thought of the four o'clock doom andgave way herself."
"She might give way to the extent of fainting, or a fit of hysterics,"admitted Milly, "but not to the extent of dropping dead! It'sunthinkable,--it's unbelievable----"
"It's almost unbelievable that they should _be_ dead," Eve said, softly,"but as to how they died, let's not speculate, dear. I suppose we musthave a doctor up from New York,--what do you think, Mr. Landon?"
"Eh?--oh, I don't know,--I'm sure I don't know."
"But you'll have to take charge, won't you?" asked Eve. "You two arereally the heads of this house----"
"All I want is to get away," moaned Milly. "When can we go, Wynne?"
"I don't know, dear. Say, Eve, won't you take Milly down to-night? Ican't leave, of course, but I daren't keep her here, lest she go topieces. You take her home,--there's a train in about an hour."
"Oh, I can't. I want to stay here. Send Norma,--no, she's nogood,--perhaps Mr. Tracy will take Milly down. He's awfully kind, andready to do anything."
As Milly declared herself now willing, the three went downstair
s. Theyfound the others in the hall, the Doctor still there, and the tea thingsstill about. Eve gave Milly some tea, and took some herself.
"I'll have to call in the coroner," Doctor Wayburn was saying; "it isn'tapparently a murder, and yet it's a mysterious death,--they both are.Yes, the county physician must be summoned."
The Doctor had gotten over the first panic of surprise, and began to feela sense of importance. Such a case had never come near him before, andthe whole affair gave him a pleasant feeling of responsibility andforeshadowed his prominence in the public eye.
The suggestion of a coroner was resented by all who listened, but theDoctor's word was law in the case, so they unwillingly consented.
"I think I'd better go down to New York to-night," said Braye. "There areso many things to see to, so many people to notify, the reporters to lookafter, and--undertaking arrangements to be made. Unless you want to go,Wynne?"
"No," said Landon, "it's better for you, Rudolph. But I wish you'd takeMilly. Take her to her mother's and let her get out of this atmosphere.Will you go, Milly?"
"I did want to, Wynne, when I was upstairs. But, now, with people allabout,--if Norma will stay here, too, I'd rather stay with you. When are_you_ going down, Wynne?"
"I don't know, dear. We'll have to see how things turn out. Well, you goahead, Rudolph, you'll have to hustle to get over to the train. And thereare a few matters I wish you'd look after for me."
The two men went off to discuss these matters, and then Doctor Wayburn,who had been telephoning, announced that the coroner could not come untilthe next day, as he was in another township attending to some duties.
"And I'm glad of it," said Eve, "for we've had enough excitement for oneday."
And so, by ten or eleven o'clock, the house was locked up and the membersof the household gone to bed, all except old Thorpe, who sat in the greathall, with the two doors open into the rooms where the still, tragicfigures lay. Before him, on a table, Hester had placed coffee andsandwiches, and the old man sat, brooding on the awful events of theafternoon.
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