CHAPTER III Black Aspens
Though mid-July, it was a chilly dusk through which the two motor carsascended the last stretch of mountain road toward the old Montgomerymansion. The sun set early behind the Green Mountains and the house,half-way up an eastern slope, appeared faintly through the shadows.
To the right, tall forest trees waved their topmost branches with aneerie, soughing sound, or stood, menacingly silent, in black, sullenmajesty. Beneath them a tangled underbrush gave forth faint, rustlinghints of some wild life or suddenly ceased to a grim stillness.
Then the road lay through a thick grove of aspens, close, black andshivering as they stood, sentinel like and fearsome, only dimly outlinedagainst the dark, clouded sky. Once in the grove, the shadows were dense,and the quivering sounds seemed intensified to a muttered protest againstintrusion. A strange bird gave forth a few raucous notes, and then thedread silence returned.
A quick, damp chill foreboded still water and the road followed themargin of a small lake or pond, sinister in its inky depths, whichmirrored the still blacker aspen trees.
Suddenly, in a small clearing, they came upon the house. In the uncertainlight it seemed enormous, shapeless and beyond all words repelling. Itseemed to have a personality, defiant and forbidding, that warned ofmystery and disaster. Aspen trees, tall and gaunt, grew so close thattheir whispering leaves brushed the windows, and crowded in protecting,huddled clumps to ward off trespassers.
No lights showed through the deep caverns of the windows, but one faintgleam flickered above the entrance door.
"Whew!" cried Landon, jumping from his seat with a thud on the stoneterrace, "I won't go through that woods again! I'll go home in anaeroplane,--and I'm ready to go now!"
"So am I," said Milly, in a quivering, tearful voice. "Oh, Wynne, why didwe ever come?"
"Now, now," cheered Braye, "keep your heads, it's all right. Only theseconfounded shadows make it impossible to know just where we're at. Here'sthe house, and by jinks, it's built of marble!"
"Of course," said the Professor, who was curiously feeling of the oldivy-grown stone, "this is the marble country, you know. Vermont marblewas plenty enough when this house was put up."
"Let's get in," begged Vernie. "It isn't as much fun as I thought itwould be."
They went, in a close group, up a short flight of broad marble steps andreached a wide portico, in the centre of which was a spacious vestibuleindented into the building, and which stood within the main wall. Thoughthe walls of the house were of marble, those of this vestibule were ofpanelled mahogany, and the entrance doorway was flanked on either side bylarge bronze columns, which stood half within and half without themahogany wall.
"Some house!" exclaimed Tracy, in admiration of the beautiful details,which though worn and blackened by time, were of antique grandeur. "Thesebronze doors must have come from Italy. They're marvellous. I'm glad Icame."
"Oh, do get in, Wynne," wailed Milly. "You can examine the houseto-morrow. I _wish_ we hadn't come!"
Landon was about to make search for knocker or bell, when one of the bigbronze doors swung open, and a man peered out.
"You folks here?" he said, a bit unnecessarily. "Bring another lamp,Hester."
"Yes, we're here," Landon assured him, "and we want to get in out of thewet!"
"Rainin'?" and the man stepped out of the door to look, blocking allingress.
"No! that's a figure of speech!" Landon's nerves were on edge. "Open thatdoor,--the other one,--let us in!"
"Go on in, who's henderin' you?" and the indifferent host stepped out ofthe way.
Landon went in first and Braye followed, as the others crowded after. Atfirst they could see only a gloomy cavernous hall, its darknessaccentuated by one small lamp on a table.
"Thought I wouldn't light up till you got here," and the man who hadadmitted them came in and closed the door. "I'm Stebbins, and here's thekeys. This is the house you've took, and Hester here will look after you.I'll be goin'."
"No, you won't!" and Landon turned on him. "Why, man, we know nothing ofthis place. You stay till I dismiss you. I want a whole lot ofinformation, but not till after we get lights and make the ladiescomfortable."
"Comfortable! At Black Aspens! Not likely." The mocking laugh thataccompanied these words struck terror to most of his hearers. "Nobodytold me that you folks came up here to be comfortable."
"Shut up!" Landon's temper was near the breaking point. "Where's thatwoman with the lamps? Where's the man I engaged to look after things?"
"Hester, she's here. She'll be in in a minute. Thorpe, that's herhusband, he's goin' to be a sort of butteler for you, he can't come tillto-morrow. But Hester, she's got supper ready, or will be, soon's you canwash up and all."
Hester came in then, a gaunt, hard-featured New England woman, who lookedutterly devoid of any emotion and most intelligence.
Stebbins, on the other hand, was apparently of keen perceptions andaverage intellect. His small blue eyes roved from one face to another,and though he looked sullen and disagreeable of disposition, he gave theeffect of one ready to do his duty.
"All right," he said, as if without interest, "I'll set in the kitchenand wait. Hester here, she'll take the ladies to their rooms, and thenafter you get your supper, I'll tell you all you ask me. But I rentedthis place to you, I didn't agree to be a signboard and Farmers'Almanac."
"All right, old chap," and Landon smiled faintly, "but don't you get awaytill I see you. Now, girls, want to select your rooms?"
"Y-Yes," began Eve, bravely, and then a glance up the dark staircase madeher shudder.
"What we want is light,--and plenty of it," broke in Braye. "Here you,Hester, I'll relieve you of that lamp you're holding, and you hop it, andget more,--six more,--twelve more--hear me?"
"We haven't that many in the house." Dull-eyed the woman looked at himwith that sublime stolidity only achieved by born New Englanders.
"Oh, you haven't! Well, bring all you have and to-morrow you manage toraise a lot more. How many have you, all told?"
"Four, I think."
"Four! For a party of nine! Well, have you candles?"
"Half a dozen."
"And three candlesticks, I suppose! Bring them in, and if you're shy ofcandlesticks, bring old bottles,--or anything."
"Good for you, Braye, didn't know you had so much generalship," andGifford Bruce clapped his nephew on the shoulder. "I'm glad I don'tbelieve in ghosts, for every last one of you people are shaking in yourshoes this minute! What's the matter with you? Nothing has happened."
"It was that awful ride through the woods," said Vernie, cuddling intoher uncle's arm. "I l-like it,--I like it all,--but, the local colour isso--so dark!"
"That's it, Kiddie," said Braye, "the local colour is about the murkiestI ever struck. But here are our lights, hooray!"
Hester brought two more small hand lamps, and after another trip to thekitchen brought six candles and six battered but usable candlesticks.
A candle was given to each of the four women, and Norma politely selectedthe oldest and most broken holder.
"Land sake!" exclaimed Stebbins, coming in, "you goin' to use _that_candlestick? That's the very one the murderin' woman used!"
With a scream, Norma dropped it and no one moved to pick it up.
"Get out, Stebbins!" roared Landon, "you queer the whole business."
"I'll take this one," and Mr. Bruce picked up the old brass affair; "I'mnot afraid of such things. Here, Miss Cameron, take mine, it's new andcommonplace, I assure you."
White-faced and trembling, Norma took the cheap crockery thing, andshortly they all followed Hester up the stairs to the shadows of thefloor above.
The place was silent as the grave. Hester's slippered feet made no sound,and a voluntary scraping of Tracy's shoes stopped as soon as he realizedits enormous sound in those empty halls. A multitude of doors led torooms in all directions, there seemed to be no plan or symmetry o
f anysort. The candle flames flickered, the small lamps burned with a palesickly light.
Hester paused midway of the main corridor.
"What rooms you want?" she asked, uninterestedly.
"Give me a cheerful one," wailed Milly. "Oh, Wynne, let us take a little,cozy one."
"Of course you shall," said Braye, kindly. "Hester, which is thepleasantest room in the house? Give that to Mr. and Mrs. Landon! And thenwe'll put all you girls near them. The rest of us will camp anywhere."
"Let's all pretty much camp anywhere till to-morrow," suggested theProfessor. "I'd like to select my room by daylight."
"I've made up some of the rooms, and some I ain't," volunteered Hester.
"Then, for Heaven's sake, show us the made-up rooms, and get out!" burstforth Landon. "I wish we'd brought our maids, Milly; that woman affectsme like fever and ague."
But after a time they were assigned to various more or less inhabitablebedrooms, and as quickly as possible, all reappeared in the great hallbelow, ready for supper.
The dining room, toward the back of the house, was not half bad, afterall the available lights had been commandeered for the table.
"You knew there were no electrics," said Braye to Eve, who was bewailingthe fact.
"Of course I did, and I thought candles would be lovely and picturesqueand all that; and kerosene gives a good soft light, but--well,somehow,--do you know what I thought as we came through that dreadfulwood?"
"What?"
"Only one sentence rang through my mind,--and that was,--The Powers ofDarkness!"
"That isn't a sentence," objected the Professor, a little querulously,and everybody laughed. Also, everybody blessed the occasion for laughter.
But Eve went on. "I don't care if it's a sentence or a syllogism, or whatit is! It just rang in my ears. And I tell you this whole place is underthe Powers of Darkness----"
"Do hush, Eve," pleaded Milly. "I was just beginning to pull myselftogether, and now you've upset me again!"
"But Milly,----"
"Let up, Eve! For the love of Mike, let up! You're enough to give anybodythe creeps." Landon glared at her.
"It's only a question of light," Tracy broke in, in his pleasant way."Now, we've light enough for the moment, and to-morrow we'll make thisthe house of a thousand candles and a hundred lamps, and a few lanternsif you like. Incidentally, Friend Hester makes first-rate doughnuts."
"Aren't they bully!" chimed in Vernie. "I've eaten six, and here goes foranother."
"Lucky they're small," said her uncle. "But seven doughnuts are enough tomake you see the ghost of old Montgomery himself!"
"And all the Green Mountain boys," added Tracy, who was determined tokeep conversation away from fearsome subjects.
By the time they had finished the meal, every one felt more at ease,Landon had recovered his poise, and Milly her cheerfulness.
"Now, then," the Professor asked, as they left the table, "shall weexplore the house to-night----"
"Lord, no!" cried Braye. "Leave it lay till daylight. Also, don't quizold Stebbins as to who's who in Black Aspens! Let's turn on the Victrolaand dance, or let's play poker or sing glees, or anything that's a properparlour trick. But nothing, I insist, pertaining to our mission up here.That'll keep."
"As you like," and now Landon could smile. "And you mollycoddles maypursue those light-minded pleasures. But I'm going to have it out withSteb, because I want to know some several Laws for Beginners. But, don'tlet me interfere with your plans. Go ahead, and have play 'Hide and SeekAll Over the House,' if you choose. That used to be my favourite indoorgame."
"Oh!" squealed Vernie, "what an awful suggestion! In this house!"
"I move we hear the story of the house to-night.--right now," said Eve.
Milly clasped her hands over her ears, instead of, as usual, over hermouth, and cried, "No! I forbid it! Don't let 'em, will you, Wynne?"
"Seems to me," remarked Mr. Stebbins, "you folks don't know your ownminds! You want a ha'nted house, then when you git it, you're too scaredto hear the story of the ha'nt."
"I'm not scared," asserted Norma, "but somehow, a ha'nt sounds so muchworse than a haunt. Doesn't it, now?"
"It sure does," agreed Braye. "A ha'nt is concrete, while a haunt isabstract."
"Good!" and Hardwick nodded approval. "Now, I suggest that we look arounda bit, get the general lay of the house and then all go to bed early. Agood night's sleep will put our nerves and muscles in condition again.I'm delighted with the place, and I foresee a first-class vacation aheadof us."
"I wish it was behind us, and we were just starting for home," murmuredMilly, but Eve reprimanded her.
"Don't be a spoilsport! I like the place too, Professor, and I'm going toinvestigate a little. What room is this?"
Eve's graceful figure crossed the great square hall, where they were allstanding about, and paused at the closed door of a room just at the righthand as one entered the house.
"Why, it's locked!" she exclaimed. "That won't do, Mr. Stebbins! Thiswhole domain is ours, now, you know. Open this door, please."
Eve wore the light gray skirt of her travelling costume, and a thin sheerwhite silk blouse, whose V'd neck fell away from her long, slenderthroat. Her hand on the door knob, she suddenly turned her strange beryleyes toward Stebbins, her face turning whiter and her thin lips redder asshe gazed.
"This is the room--isn't it?" she breathed, and her hand slowly fell fromthe knob and hung loosely at her side.
"Yes, ma'am," replied Stebbins, stolidly. "How'd you know?"
"How could I help knowing!" and Eve's voice rang out like a clarion. "Isee it! I see it all!"
She rushed across the hall and fell trembling on a settee. Tracy flew toher side, and took her hand.
"There, there, Miss Carnforth, brace up! We're all right here. Nothingcan hurt you."
"Beats all how she knew!" muttered Stebbins. "You see that's theroom----"
A cry from Milly stirred Landon to action.
"Drop it, Stebbins," he said, and took a step toward him. "None of thatto-night. We do want your haunted house, but the long journey up here,and your confounded negligence in the matter of lights and servants andgeneral good will, has got on the ladies' nerves. Beat it now, to thekitchen, or wherever your quarters are, but you stay here to-night and beready to report in the morning. You hear me?"
"Yes, sir," and shrugging his shoulders, the man disappeared among theshadows in the back of the hall.
The great main hall was so large that the lights they had were allinsufficient for illumination. There seemed to be innumerable doors andopenings of side corridors, also a second staircase, far behind the mainone.
"Here's a good-looking room, let's go in here," said Tracy, steppingthrough some old, faded draperies to the room on the left of the hall asone entered the house.
Hardwick followed, and the others with lamps and candles pushed in. Itwas a large, dignified apartment, evidently a parlour or ballroom of theold mansion. The furniture was of old, carved rosewood, its upholsteryworn, but fairly decent. Oil portraits were on the walls and massiveornaments of imitation bronze stood about, showing white here and therewhere the coating was chipped off.
Yellowish onyx vases graced the mantels, and the windows were hung withheavy rep curtains which, however, veiled no lighter ones.
"Ghastly!" cried Norma.
"What do you mean by ghastly?" began the Professor, and Tracy laughed.
"She didn't mean it at all, Professor," he said, "Miss Cameron meant tosay hideous. Now, don't ask me what I mean by hideous, just look at theinterior decorations here and draw your own conclusions as to my meaning.But though not to be called aesthetic, this furniture is fairly comfy. Thesprings of this sofa are intact,--come sit by my side, little darling."This last to Vernie, who was wide-eyed and alert, lapping up thesestrange, new impressions.
"All right," and she flung herself down beside him. "You're a realcomfort, Mr. Tracy,--you're so,--so--unministerial!"
"
Thank you, my child. One needn't carry one's pulpit voice into sociallife."
"Oh, I don't mean you do or say anything that a man of your callingoughtn't to, but you're so nice about it."
"I think so too," chattered Milly, "I do think a clergyman with a senseof humour makes a fine combination."
The mental atmosphere gradually lightened and when Landon suggested theyall retire, it was a composed and merry hearted group that obeyed thesummons.
When twelve sonorous strokes boomed from the tall clock in the upperhall, the men beneath the roof of Black Aspens were all sleeping more orless soundly.
Milly, with only occasional little quivering shudders, slumbered inLandon's arms. Vernie slept with the sound dreamless sleep of youth.
But Eve and Norma were wide awake, and unable to close their eyes.
In adjoining rooms, the communicating door ajar, they could hear oneanother toss restlessly, but they said no words.
Norma's blue eyes were wide open, her thoughts rambling over the strangesurroundings in which she found herself, and her mind leaping forward,speculating on what might happen.
Eve, her long, glittering eyes half closed, listened for any sound; hernerves alert, her thoughts darting from material things to thesupernatural, every muscle tense with a nameless apprehension.
More hours were rung out by the old clock, and at last dawn began tocreep in at the deep narrow windows of the old house.
With a shrug and a stretch Vernie awoke. Drowsily, in the half light shetried to make out her surroundings, and then, suddenly remembering whereshe was, she dove her head under her blanket, in a quick rush of fear.Then curiosity conquered, and she came to the surface again, and lookedabout. The light, growing gradually stronger, showed the appointments ofthe room, the ugly old four-poster bedstead, of light wood,--apple orhickory,--the heavy rep lambrequins, that seemed to be a feature of thehouse, and the scantily appointed dresser, on which, the night before,she had set her extinguished candle.
Shadows still lurked in the corners of the room, still hung round thedraperies and furniture, yet through the gloom Vernie saw something thatmade her eyes stare and her flesh creep. Clenching her hands till hersharp nails bit into her palms, she gave a shriek that rang through thesilent house.