CHAPTER IV
Raymonde Explores
There was no doubt that Marlowe Grange was one of the quaintest oldhouses in the county. The girls all felt that its mediaeval atmospherewas unrivalled. Even such prosaic subjects as geometry or analysistook on an element of romance when studied in an oak-panelled chamberwith coats of arms emblazoned on the upper panes of the windows. Itwas the fashion in the school to rejoice in the antique surroundings.The girls took numerous photos, and printed picture post-cards to sendhome to their families and friends, and everyone with the leastaptitude for drawing started a sketchbook. Like most ancientbuildings, the old hall, while preserving its principal rooms in goodrepair, was growing shaky in the upper stories. The labyrinth ofattics that lay under the roof had been neglected till the latticedwindows were almost off their hinges, and the plaster had fallen ingreat patches from the ceilings. Fearing lest the worm-eaten floorswere really unsafe, Miss Beasley had made the top story a forbiddenterritory, and, to ensure her orders being obeyed, had placed a wiredoor to shut it off from the rest of the house. This door was keptlocked, Miss Beasley and Miss Gibbs each having a key. Every day,girls pressed inquisitive noses against the wire netting to peep atthe tantalizing prospect beyond. They could just see round the cornerof a winding oak staircase on to a dim, mysterious landing beyond.Once or twice Miss Gibbs had gone to her attic laboratory and had leftthe door open behind her, and a few bold spirits had venturedupstairs, but, as the door of her room had also been wide open, theyhad not dared to pass it and risk discovery, and had been obliged tobeat a hasty retreat. It was highly aggravating, for the vista of darkpassages looked most alluring.
"Couldn't we ask the Bumble to take us round the attics some Saturdayfor a special treat?" suggested Ardiune.
"'Twouldn't be much fun going in a specially conducted party like acrowd of tourists!" sniffed Raymonde. "We'd all have to stand atattention while the Bumble gave a short lecture on the architecture orthe historical significance of some thingumbobs. It would just turn itall into a lesson. What I want is to go and poke about on my own; andI mean to some day!"
"Gibbie'd snap your head off if she caught you!"
"I don't intend to be caught."
It was all very well to lay plans, but another matter to carry themout. Miss Gibbs usually locked the wire door behind her, only leavingit open when she went upstairs to fetch something and meant to returnalmost immediately. The mere fact of its difficulty increasedRaymonde's zest for the adventure. Her wild, harum-scarum spiritswelcomed the element of possible danger, and the imminence ofdiscovery added an extra spice. For days she haunted the vicinity ofthe winding staircase, hiding in bedrooms and watching, in case MissGibbs went to her laboratory. Twice she watched the mistress passthrough the wire door and lock it safely behind her, quite unaware ofthe outraged pupil fuming in No. 3 Dormitory opposite. Raymondereiterated her old opinion that Miss Gibbs was far too exact andconscientious.
On one eventful afternoon, however, fortune favoured her. No less aperson than Miss Beasley ascended the interesting staircase, actuallyleaving the defences unsecured. Raymonde seized the opportunity, andlike a little ghost or shadow stole softly after her. The headmistress had entered the laboratory, and had closed that door afterher. Raymonde tiptoed up to it, and could hear voices inside, thewhirling of a wheel, and a kind of bubbling sound. Was Miss Beasleyassisting Miss Gibbs with the alchemy? She did not wait even to take asurvey through the keyhole, but, hurrying on, turned the corner of thepassage.
She found herself in another long, narrow landing, with rooms on bothsides. She peeped into most of these. They were empty, and in adeplorable state of disrepair. Plaster had fallen from the ceilings,showing the rafters; in some places, even streaks of daylight shonethrough chinks in the tiled roof. The worm-eaten old floors had rottedinto holes, and Raymonde had to walk warily to avoid putting her footthrough in tender places. Many of the rooms had cupboards--dark,mysterious, cobwebby recesses--into which she peered with a ratherjumpy sensation that a bogy might suddenly pop out. The wholeatmosphere of the place was ghostly, even in the daytime.
"I shouldn't like to come up here at night!" shivered Raymonde.
As far as she could tell, the passage seemed to be leading her roundthe house. It turned several corners, and ended in a long gallery.This looked more cheerful, for the sun shone in through the large endwindow and brightened the cracked old walls. She danced along thefloor with quite a return of high spirits.
"I wish the Bumble would let us come up here on wet days. It would bea glorious place for games, nicer by far than the barn. I call it meanof her to lock up all this part of the house. We'd have absolutelytopping fun! I say! what's that little door over there?"
The door in question was very small, and quite low down on a levelwith the floor. Raymonde went on her hands and knees to investigate.It was secured with a bolt, which she easily opened. To her surprise,she found herself looking out upon the roof. Whether it had beenconstructed in past days to provide a means of escape from danger, ormerely to allow workmen to replace loose tiles, it was impossible tosay. It was certainly within the bounds of probability to imagine aJacobite, with a price set on his life, creeping through the littleopening to find a more secure hiding-place among the twisted chimneys,while King George's soldiers searched the mansion below.
Raymonde put her head out. The roof sloped steeply up in front. To agirl of her temperament the temptation to explore farther wasirresistible. She squeezed through the small door, and wriggled out onher hands and knees on to the tiles.
She was in the angle of a small gable. She could see roof all roundher, and sky above. Still on hands and knees, she began to creepupwards. The weather-beaten old tiles had mellowed to dull red andorange, and were partly covered with moss. She could not help admiringthe artistic beauty of their colour. She reached the ridge, and peeredover. Apparently she was somewhere in the middle of the roof, for atall, twisted stack of chimneys reared itself close by, and gablesspread on all sides. She went cautiously down the next incline, and upto the summit of a further ridge, which was higher. Here, by standingup and holding on to a chimney ledge, she had an excellent view. Shecould not see the courtyard, but she could command the bottom of theorchard, the moat, the fields that led to the river, and the cliffsand woods beyond. It was quite a bird's-eye prospect. She seemed to belooking on to the top of everything. The cattle in the meadowsappeared mere specks, and a cart and horses passing over the bridgewere like a child's toy. It was fascinating to watch them vanishingdown the road.
Raymonde was in no hurry to return. She stood for quite a long timeenjoying an exhilarating sense of being on the summit of a mountain.At last the recollection that it must be nearly preparation timerecalled her to the necessity of departure. With a sigh of regret shedropped back on to the ridge, and crawled over the gables again. Shewas sure that she had left the little door open behind her, but whenshe approached it she saw that it was shut. Perhaps the wind had blownit to. She put out her hand to fling it open, but it did not yield.She pushed harder, pressing with all her force. It remained immovable.Then the awful truth burst upon her. Somebody had latched the door onthe inside, and she was locked out upon the roof. Had Miss Beasley orMiss Gibbs been taking a survey of the attics? No matter who it was,the horrible result remained the same. What was she to do? She beatwildly at the door, hoping to break it in, but sixteenth-century oakand bolts were made of stuff too strong for a girl's hands. Sheshouted and called, knowing all the time that it was of little avail.Whoever bolted the door must have gone away. Miss Gibbs's laboratorywas at the other side of the house, and she might scream herselfhoarse without anyone hearing her. For a minute or two she sat huddledup in despair. Would she have to spend the night on the roof?
It was a ghastly prospect. Hot tears came welling up, but she dashedthem away angrily. Her innate pluck rose to the surface. She had beenin difficult, even dangerous positions before, and had escaped. Surelythere must be some way out of this?
"I'll climb farther on over the roof," she decided. "If I can getnearer the edge, perhaps someone may see me."
The chance of rescue meant admitting her adventure, and incurringgreat wrath at head-quarters, but that was a lesser evil than passinga night on the roof. She crawled to her old vantage-ground, anddescended to the right, where a gable sloped steeply. At the bottomshe passed along a wide gutter, and, rounding a corner, found that shecould easily drop on to a lower portion of the roof. She was in astate of tense excitement. Where was she getting to? Would anybody seeher from the courtyard; and if so, how would they propose to rescueher? It would be difficult to shout down and explain that she had comethrough the little door in the upper gallery. She was on a much lowerlevel now than when she had first started. She crawled on, with handsand knees rather sore and scraped with the tiles.
Another corner, and another short drop. She was nearing the edge ofthe parapet. She must creep down this next piece of roof. There wasanother wide gutter at the bottom. She walked along this, rounded ajutting chimney-stack, and then paused with a cry. Facing her was asmall door, identical with the one by which she had emerged. Could itpossibly be open? She stumbled up to it, and pressed it with tremblingfingers. It yielded easily. The next moment she was creeping through.
Raymonde now found herself inside a cupboard full of old lumber. Thedust was thick, and surely had not been disturbed for years. Somebroken chairs with moth-eaten seats were piled together, and someancient boxes lay full of rubbish. Straw, old books, hanks of rope,and other miscellaneous things occupied the corner. There was a dooropposite, without either latch or knob. Raymonde with some difficultymanaged to pull it open, and stepped out into a passage. When shepushed the door to behind her, she noticed that it fitted so exactlyinto the oak panelling as to be quite undiscernible. Could it be asecret cupboard? She wondered if Miss Beasley knew of its existence.There was a window close by; she looked out and took her bearings.Apparently she was just over the big dormitory; the tiles across whichshe had crawled to enter the cupboard must have been those of MissGibbs's bedroom. The landing where she found herself at present led tothe servants' quarters; the staircase was to her right.
Raymonde hurried down without meeting anybody, washed the dust anddirt off her hands, and walked in to preparation in the very nick oftime.