CHAPTER VIII
EXPLORING THE SECRET PASSAGE
"I CERTAINLY do adore this room!" exclaimed Mollie Thurston, withglowing eyes.
The "Automobile Girls" and Olive were sitting in the dining room of oldTreasureholme. It was a massive, but cheerful room, the ceiling studdedwith great beams. A fireplace constructed of boulders of varying shapesand sizes, large enough to take a six-foot log, occupied the greaterpart of one side of the room. Olive Presby had been telling her guestsvarious anecdotes relating to Treasureholme and as usual theconversation had turned to the tale of the long-lost treasure.
An old-fashioned bookcase, extending all the way across one end of theroom, was filled with leather-bound books. Bab regarded them longingly.She made up her mind to browse among these old volumes at the firstopportunity.
"Help yourself any time you wish," smiled Olive, who had observed Bab'seager glances at the bookcase. Barbara blushed that her thoughts shouldhave been read so easily.
"Oh, I should love to!" she answered simply.
Mollie cast an apprehensive glance about her.
"Are you sure there are no ghosts in this old place?" she asked.
"Of course not. What made you think of that?" laughed Ruth.
"In all the stories I ever read about buried treasure there was sure tobe a ghost to guard it," replied Mollie. "Perhaps Treasureholme has aghost, too. At any rate, I feel spooky."
"So do I," agreed Grace. "Did you hear that noise?"
"It sounds to me like rats or mice," ventured Barbara. "Of course it is.I know the sound. I hope they don't come out while I am here."
A hush fell over the little party of "Automobile Girls." A gentlescratching that seemed to come from the left side of the fireplace wasaudible to each of them. As they listened the sound seemed to magnify. Adraft through the open door that led into the hallway smote Mollie inthe back of the neck. She sprang up, uttering a little cry.
"It's a ghost. I felt it blow on my neck," she cried.
"Nonsense! I'll soon show you the ghost," offered Ruth, starting to herfeet. "I know this old place pretty well. May I, Olive?"
Olive nodded smilingly. Ruth stepped to the left side of the fireplaceand, grasping a knob that had escaped the observation of theKingsbridge girls, deliberately pulled out a panel that was in reality adoor.
The girls uttered exclamations of amazement. Then they saw somethingmove in the dark recess the door had revealed. It was Tom, sitting inthe hole in the wall, with his feet curled up under him. He was grinningsardonically.
"Here's your ghost," announced Ruth, taking firm hold of theirrepressible Tom's collar and assisting him out into the room. "Youought to be ashamed of yourself, Thomas Presby, frightening young womenin that fashion."
"Yes, Tom, I am ashamed of you," rebuked Olive. But Tom was perfectlycheerful and unabashed.
"A secret passage?" gasped Mollie.
"It's a sort of underground passage, built to look like an old-fashionedDutch oven," explained Olive.
"Per--perhaps the treasure is buried there," suggested Bab scarcelyabove a whisper.
Tom laughed derisively. Olive smiled tolerantly.
"If it ever was hidden there, it was taken out long, long ago. Thatpassage has been known for some generations, I believe," said Olive.
"How ever did you get in there?" demanded Ruth, a sudden thoughtoccurring to her.
"Find out," grinned Tom.
"There must be another entrance to it, isn't there, Olive?"
"Not that I know of. Is there, Tom?"
"Maybe and maybe not."
"Oh, please tell us. Can't you see we are burning with curiosity?"begged Bab.
"I'll show the place to any girl who's got the sand to go in there withme," answered Tom Presby.
All the girls, except Barbara, drew back. She was regarding the boyquestioningly.
"Will you show me?" she asked.
"You bet I will if you've got the nerve."
"Don't trust him," warned the girls.
"I am not afraid of one small boy, especially Tom," answered Bab, with atwinkle in her eyes. "But, Master Tom, if you try to play any tricks onme it will be a sorry day for you. You can't play tricks on the'Automobile Girls' without getting into trouble, remember. Olive, may Igo?"
"Of course, if you wish," smiled Miss Presby. "I have been in there everso many times, and"--with a blush--"I have dug and dug in there."
The girls laughed merrily, all save Bab, who was thoughtful. Theimpression was strong with her that somehow this passage was connecteddirectly or indirectly with the secret of the lost treasure.
"Take a light with you. I won't go in in the dark," declared Barbara.
Tom produced a candle and lighted it. Barbara crawled into the dark holeafter him. The others crowded about, peering in wonderingly.
"Close the door," commanded Tom.
Barbara pretended to do so, but left a crack through which the lightfrom the dining room filtered faintly.
"Don't you girls dare to fasten the door," she called. "I should die offright if I thought I was locked in this hole."
"We'll come in by way of the front door," called back Tom, as he beganburrowing into the hole. The place was inky black save for the faintlight shed by the candle. "Don't be afraid. After we get out from underthe house you will be able to stand up."
"Oh! Is the passage so long as that?" gasped Bab. "I--I guess I don'twant to go any further. I'll explore with you to-morrow."
"It won't be any lighter in the daytime," reminded the boy. "It's alwaysdark down here." He was getting further and further away from her.
"Thomas Presby, you come right back here," commanded Barbara. "I won'tgo another step."
"'Fraid cat!" jeered Thomas.
"I'm not!" retorted Bab, starting forward. She knew she could easilyfind her way back again. She bumped her head against the roof of thepassage several times. The place smelled stuffy and mouldy, though thegirl realized that a faint current of air was passing through thetunnel. All at once she discovered that the passage had grown larger.She was able to stand up without difficulty. She then made a furtherdiscovery. Tom and his light had disappeared.
"Tom! Oh, Tom!" cried Barbara.
There was no answer. The silence was so deep that it made her ears ring.At first the girl was panic stricken, then she reasoned out hersituation more calmly. She had only to retrace her steps to return tothe dining room. Tom no doubt had eluded her and left the passagethrough an exit known only to himself. She would show him that she wasas good as any boy.
"I'll go straight back," declared Barbara. But somehow the "going back"was not accomplished with the ease that she had hoped for. The wayseemed much longer than had been the case when she was on her way in.Bab was peering ahead of her, expecting every moment to catch sight ofthe light from the dining room. She would have called out to hercompanions, only she did not want them to know that she was in troubleor that she was afraid.
Barbara had been in the low-ceilinged passage for some time when shecame in contact with a solid wall. She gave a glad little exclamation,believing that she had reached the panel that led into the dining room.She had now but to rap and her companions would open the panel. The windmust have blown the panel shut. Barbara put out her hands and begangroping for the panel. To her horror, there was no panel there. Herhands found nothing but earth. Some moments had elapsed when BarbaraThurston realized that she was in a predicament.
"I am lost!" she groaned. "Oh, what shall I do?"
The girl decided to call for assistance. There seemed to be no otherway. She raised her voice and shouted, but, to her amazement, the shoutwas merely a feeble call that could not have been heard many feet away.The low walls deadened the sound of her voice.
A little investigation convinced her that she had strayed into a shortblind passage. Having made this discovery, she began creeping back,hugging the right-hand wall of the passage, believing that the mainpassage must begin on the right-hand side. In this she was
correct.
Barbara had proceeded but a short distance before she found the junctionof the two passages. She had not observed this shorter passage whenfollowing Tom, and no doubt he had known that she would be almost sureto lose her way, just as she had done. But there was no Tom present onwhom to vent her displeasure. Neither was Barbara yet out of the tunnel.For all she knew she might be in a wholly new passage. Before goingahead she sat down to think over her situation carefully.
"No, I can't be mistaken. I must be right. But I ought to see the lightfrom the dining room from this point. However, I will go on and trust toluck."
Barbara started on at once, though she took no chance of losing herself.Every foot of the walls on either side was carefully groped over by herhands as she made her way. The earth felt cold and damp. To touch itmade her shiver. But Barbara was plucky. She continued bravely on.
"Oh, there's the light," she cried. "I'll call to let them know I amcoming. No, I won't. I'll give them a scare. Lucky for me that I kept myhead. I might have been lost in that short passage and never foundagain. How terrible. But an 'Automobile Girl' never gives up. I hearvoices. The girls must be wondering what has become of me. I think Ihear Tom in the dining room. I wonder what I had better do to punish himfor the trick he played on me? I shall have to think it over. I----
"Gracious! What would I do if the girls should happen to have company inthe old dining room? I shouldn't dare to come out, for I know I mustlook a fright." Bab soon reached the panel, which was still as she hadleft it upon entering the passage. Then as she craned her neck forwardand peered into the dining room she uttered a smothered exclamation.
Mr. and Mrs. Presby were sitting facing the fire, talking. The girl inthe passage drew back as she saw Mr. Presby's eye fixed upon the panel.He appeared to be looking straight at her. A moment more and she wasconvinced that he was not.
Bab was in a quandary. She dared not show herself. What would they thinkof her, their daughter's guest, were she to be seen crawling from a holein the wall? Her first meeting with Mr. Presby had been unfortunateenough. He surely would not forgive her for this exploit. Then the humorof the situation dawned upon her. Bab stuffed her handkerchief into hermouth so that they might not hear her giggles.
All at once she ceased laughing and sat up very straight.
"Nathan Bonner called on me at my office to-day. It was of that that Iwished to speak with you, and that is why I asked the girls to leave theroom." Mr. Presby was speaking.
"Did he wish to help you?"
"He intimated something of the sort. What he did want was permission tocall on Olive."
"Oh!" The exclamation escaped Mrs. Presby unwittingly.
"And you told him----?"
"No. Not with my permission. Bonner is a very rich man, Jane--and anunscrupulous one I am informed. I know little more about him, exceptthat he has come to be an important figure on the Board of Trade. Hisrise has been phenomenal. I don't care for the man, however. I do notconsider him the sort of man that Olive would like."
"You wish me to speak with her upon the subject?" asked Aunt Jane.
"No!" The word came out with explosive force. "The incident is closed. Iam not so base as to consider for a moment the idea of my daughtermaking a rich alliance some day for the sake of retrieving our financialaffairs. I am simply confiding the facts to you, that you may begoverned accordingly."
Jane Presby rose, and, going over to her husband, kissed him tenderly onthe forehead.
"You are a noble man, Richard."
"Has it taken you all these years to find that out?" retorted Mr. Presbytestily.
"I have always known it," answered Mrs. Presby simply.
"What do you know about this Jack Howard's attentions to Olive?" hedemanded sharply.
"They are childhood friends. Olive is still our baby, Richard. She hasno thought of leaving us, I am sure. At least not in a long, long time."
Barbara, realizing that she was listening to a family conference, hadsuddenly shrunk back further into the corridor. She still could heartheir voices. She retired further into the passage. Now their voicesreached her ears in a confused murmur. The girl crouched down, waiting.The words of Mr. Presby had not made a very great impression on her,except that he had objected to one Nathan Bonner calling on hisdaughter. Who Nathan Bonner was Bab did not know.
Words, clear and distinct, spoken by Richard Presby, now reached Barbaraplainly. He was speaking of another matter, one that was near to theheart of the "Automobile Girl" crouching there in the secret passage ofthe old mansion. Barbara's face blanched as she heard and understoodwhat Mr. Presby was saying. She was powerless to shut her ears to thewords. Mr. Presby's further remarks were brief. He rose and stamped fromthe room, followed a few seconds later by his wife.
Barbara crept forward to the panel, peered out cautiously to make surethat there was no one there, then, throwing wide the panel, stepped intothe dining room, and, gathering her skirts about her, fled to her roomon the next floor. She could hear the girls laughing and talking inOlive Presby's room.
Reaching her bedroom, Barbara Thurston threw herself on the bed, andsobbed as though her heart would break.