CHAPTER XVI
SHADOWS AND MYSTERY
"Well, if it's a ghost," announced Mrs. Maria Gilligan in a loudvoice, "I never did hear one that sounded so much like a suitcasesliding off a trunk."
The girls giggled and followed Mrs. Gilligan as she strode up the stairs.The flickering candles made grotesque shadows on the walls; the house,after that noise, was as still as a tomb, and despite the comfortingpresence of their valiant chaperone, the girls kept close together forprotection.
"D-do you suppose it was only a s-suitcase?" stammered Violet.
"Don't whisper in my ear--you tickle," hissed Billie, and again theylaughed hysterically.
"Look out, now, go slow," Mrs. Gilligan was cautioning them. "We don'twant to stumble over this luggage and get a broken leg or two. Ouch!" sheexclaimed, as she stubbed her toe against something hard. "I guess I'mthe first casualty!"
She bent down to find what she had stumbled against, while the girlsglanced nervously into the corners of the hall which the flickeringcandle light only seemed to make more dark.
"Goodness, if we feel like this now, I don't see how we're ever going tospend the night here," cried Laura, shivering a little. "I don't believeI'll be able to sleep a wink."
"Oh, yes, you will," said Billie, trying hard to make her voice soundnatural and unconcerned. "We're all so tired we couldn't help sleepinganywhere."
"Just as I thought," said Mrs. Gilligan, referring to the object she hadstubbed her toe against. "Your suitcase, Billie, and the creepy noise weheard was when it slid off the trunk. Come on now," she added, holdingher candle high over her head again, "let's see what we can find in theway of bedrooms."
"Let's go in the first door we reach," suggested Billie, and at themoment Mrs. Gilligan's candle showed a wide, high doorway leading into ablack cavern of a room.
"Well, here's the first one," she said. "If we have luck and find somebedding--"
She was already feeling her way cautiously between several chairs andtables, with the girls following close behind.
"There's the bed!" cried Laura. "Oh, isn't it funny? A regular oldfour-poster."
"With a canopy over it!" marveled Violet.
"And it's made up with clean things," added Billie, making anotherdiscovery. "Goodness, it makes you feel like the 'Little Princess' whenshe found all the good things in her room."
"Sure enough, it has been made fresh," said Mrs. Gilligan, as shewonderingly turned down a somewhat dusty spread and disclosed snowysheets beneath.
"Somebody's been keeping house anyway," said Laura.
"Here's room for two of you girls," said Mrs. Gilligan.
"Oh, we all three want to sleep together," cried Violet, fearful that shemight be picked to sleep alone. "There's safety in numbers."
"All right, but I have to sleep somewhere," Mrs. Gilligan reminded herwith a wry little smile. "Aren't you going to help me find some place?This may be the only bed that's in sleeping condition in the house."
"Then we'd have to sleep four in a bed," said Billie, with a chuckle."But come on, let's see if some kind fairy hasn't prepared for you too,Mrs. Gilligan."
Laughing, the girls pushed out into the hall and looked for the nextdoorway. They no longer glanced fearfully in the corners for somethingthey were afraid to see. The thought of the nice clean bed pushed alltheir weird fancies into the background. Ghosts and clean beds did notseem to go together!
They found another room just as clean as the other one, and also with acanopied four-poster in one corner. With cries of delight the girlsdiscovered that it also was ready for occupancy.
"Goodness, I wonder who could have done it?" mused Violet, as she droppeddown on the edge of the bed and regarded the girls wonderingly.
"Maybe it was a ghost," said Laura, with a chuckle, and Violet glancedaround uneasily.
"Can't you forget about ghosts for five minutes?" she asked ratherirritably, for she was tired after the long day's trip. "Just when I'mbeginning to be happy--"
"There, there," cried Billie soothingly. "Don't go and get mad, Vi,darling, or our last hope will be gone. I guess Aunt Beatrice left itthis way. Gracious! what's that?"
"Only me opening a door," said Mrs. Gilligan from the farther end of theroom. "My, but you girls are jumpy! Better get to bed," she added,crossing over to them with a decided step. "You're tired, and everythingwill seem better in the morning. Off with you now. No, not that way," asthey started toward the hall, the way they had come in. "I've found adoor between our two rooms--it was opening that that made you jump. See?"
"A connecting door!" cried Billy delightedly. "Oh, that's fine!"
"Yes, you can lock your door, Mrs. Gilligan, and we'll lock ours, andwe'll all be as snug--"
"As bugs in a rug," finished Laura, putting an arm about Violet andpushing her into the other room.
"Aren't you going to take your candles?" Mrs. Gilligan called after them."I fancy you'll need them to undress by."
"I fancy I'll need mine all night," said Laura in an undertone with a wrylittle grimace, as Violet went back for the candles. "I'm just scared todeath to stay here in the dark."
"But we won't be able to keep these burning all night," said Billie,pausing in the act of unlacing her shoe to gaze at her half-burnedcandle. "They will probably burn out in a couple of hours."
Laura looked panicky.
"Well, some one will have to go down and get some more," she said, andgazed at Billie thoughtfully.
"Goodness, you needn't look at me when you say that," said the latter,going energetically to work on the other shoe. "I wouldn't go down intothat gloomy place again for all the money there is in the world."
"But we'll be left in the dark," said Laura, staring at Billie as if itwere all her fault.
"Who said anything about being left in the dark?" asked Violet,returning with a candle in each hand, the flickering light illumining herface and making her look like some saint.
"I did, and we will if you don't go down and get more candles," saidLaura, turning her fire against the newcomer.
"Go down and get candles all by myself?" asked Violet. Then she walkedover to the table and set the two candles down with a decided thump."You're crazy," she said.
"Well, the best thing I can see to do," said Billie, letting down herlong hair and brushing it vigorously, "is to get to bed, go to sleep, andforget all about it."
"Yes, if we _can_ sleep," said Laura doubtfully, as she took hernightgown out of the grip.
The girls undressed as quickly as they could, said their prayers, andcrawled under the sheets, pulling them up tight beneath their chins.
"You know," whispered Billie, after they had been quiet for some timestaring up at the ceiling, "I have an idea that I've got the worst ofthis bargain."
"Now what are you raving about?" asked Laura, turning a pair ofunnaturally bright eyes upon her.
"Why, you chose the middle of the bed and Vi took the end nearestthe wall. That leaves me on the outside to ward off the ghosts. Itisn't fair."
"Oh, but, Billie dear, you're ever so much braver than we are," saidViolet cajolingly. "Don't you remember how you've said right along thatyou weren't afraid of ghosts?"
"Well, I'm not," said Billie stoutly, while her eyes searched the farcorners of the room which were beginning to get very indistinct andcreepy in the flickering uncertain light of the fast shortening candles."And, anyway," she added, the thought seeming to comfort her, "I lockedthe door."
"Well, don't you know a ghost can walk right through a door?" askedLaura, and Violet bounced in the bed and came down with a thud.
"Stop it," she commanded. "I'm trying my hardest to get to sleep beforethose candles burn out. When it gets pitch dark in here I never can."
"And all this comes under the head of pleasure," murmured Laura with alittle chuckle.
"All right--we'll keep still," agreed Billie. "I think myself that thebest thing we can do is get to sleep. Night, girls. We'll all feel betterin the morning."
&nb
sp; "If we're here to feel anything," added Violet gloomily.
For a long time the girls lay wide-eyed and quiet, but gradually the lawof nature asserted itself. Their eyelids drooped, and the deep regularbreathing showed that they were asleep.
It was about three o'clock in the morning that it happened. Tortured bydreams in which she was being chased by a ghost in goggles and a greenmotor car, Violet finally awoke and lay staring out at the dark.
Then suddenly she sat up. Her dream had followed her into the world ofreality. There was the same strange, weird purring noise that soundedlike, yet was strangely unlike, the chugging of a motor car.
She sat absolutely still with every nerve tense, feeling chillyand scared.
At last she could stand it no longer and, leaning over, touched Lauragently on the arm.
"What's the matter?" cried the latter, starting up fearfully. At the samemoment Billie opened her eyes.
"That noise!" whispered Violet. "Listen!"