A Search For A Secret: A Novel. Vol. 2 Read online

  CHAPTER VI.

  THE PRIEST'S CHAMBER.

  I was very glad that Polly had left school and come home for good. Itwas far more cheerful and pleasant than it had been at all since I leftschool. Polly made the place so cheerful with her bright happy smile,and was so full of life and fun, that I never found time to sit andmuse, and wonder and fret over the future, as I had done before she camehome. She never left me long alone for any time, but every day wouldmake me go out for long walks with her, and indeed devoted herselfentirely to cheering and amusing me. Papa too very much recovered hisspirits under her genial influence; and altogether she made our homemuch brighter and more cheerful than before.

  So our life went on for nearly three months, and then one Friday eveningI was told that Sarah was below waiting to speak to me. I was rathersurprised, for she had been to the house very seldom before, and thenalways on Sunday evenings.

  However, the moment she came in, I saw that she had something veryimportant to tell. Her bright face was quite pale with excitement, andher whole figure was in a nervous tremble.

  "Oh, miss," she burst out directly the door was closed behind her, "Oh,miss, I have found the secret door!"

  Although I had tried all along to hope that she would some day do so,that hope had been so long deferred that it had almost died away; andnow at the sudden news, I felt all the blood rush to my heart, the roomswam round with me, and I sat on a chair quite overwhelmed by the suddenshock.

  "Shall I get you some water, miss?"

  "No, no, Sarah, I shall be myself in a minute or two."

  I had to sit quiet a little time, before I could steady myselfsufficiently to listen to the account of the wonderful discovery, whichwas to lead to fortune and happiness. Then I said,--

  "I am not very strong, Sarah, and the surprise has been almost too muchfor me, for I own I hardly expected that you ever would find it. Nowtell me all about it, or stay, let me ask papa and my sister to come into share in this wonderful news of yours." So saying, I ran down to thestudy where papa was busy writing.

  "Papa," I said, "I want you to come up stairs directly."

  "What for my dear? I am really very busy at present."

  "Never mind, papa; but put by your writing at once and come up. Sarah ishere, and oh, papa, she has found the secret door."

  "That is news, indeed!" papa said, pushing back his chair at once; "I amsure I never expected it."

  So saying, he followed me upstairs. I called Polly as we went up, andshe came running up after us, and as she went into the drawing-room withme, I whispered to her that the secret door was found. She gave me alittle squeeze of congratulation, and I saw that even in that firstflush of pleasure at the news, it was only the consequences to me thatshe thought of, and that her own personal interest in the matter neverentered into her mind.

  "Well, Sarah," papa began, "so I hear you have discovered the secretentrance at last."

  "Yes sir, I have. From the time I found the first spring at Christmas, Ihave never ceased looking for another one. I had felt every knob on thefireplace and chimneypiece, and every stone up the chimney as far as Icould reach. You know, sir, it is only in the half hour I get of amorning by being up before the other servants that I can try; indeed Ionly have half that time, for I must get some of the shutters open andappear to have began to do something to account for my time. Well, sir,at last I really seemed to have tried everywhere, and I almost gave upall hope of finding it, although I had quite made up my mind to go onsearching as long as I stayed there, even if it was for ten years. Well,sir, yesterday morning I quite got out of temper with the thing, and Isat down on the ground in the great fireplace quite out of heart; myface was quite close to the great iron dogs, so I said, "Drat you, youlook for all the world as if you were putting out your long tongues atme;" and I took hold of the tongue nearest to me, and gave it a twist,and do you know, sir, it quite gave me a turn to find that the tonguetwisted round in my hand. I twisted and twisted till the tongue came outin my hand, then I touched the spring behind the mantel, but nothingmoved; then I tried the tongue of the other dog, and that came out too;but still nothing moved. Just then I heard the cook moving in thekitchen, so I had to put the tongues back again and go to my work; butall day I hardly knew whether I stood on my head or my heels, I wantedso much to see whether anything would come of it. Well, miss, thismorning I got up quite early, and unscrewed the dogs' tongues, andlooked in the places they had come out of, but could not see anything.Then I pushed the sharp end of the tongue into the hole, and twisted andpoked about, but I could not find anything moved; then I put that tonguein again, and tried the other, and directly I pushed the sharp end in, Ifelt something give way, and then I heard a click. I jumped up andpushed the knob in the chimney, and directly something creaked, and thewhole of the left hand side of the fireplace swung open like a low door,about four feet high, and beyond it was a little flight of stone stairs.I was so excited, sir, when I saw the door and the steps, and knew I hadfound the place I had been looking for so long, that I had to leanagainst the wall to support myself. After a little while I pushed thedoor back again, and heard it close with a click. Then I screwed thetongue into the mouth again, and went about my work, but all day I havehardly known whether I stood upon my head or my heels."

  We were all silent when Sarah finished. So far, then, we had succeededin our search. What was to be done next? We turned to papa.

  "You have indeed done well, Sarah, and have laid us under a deepobligation to you for the perseverance you have shown, and the clearnesswith which you have carried out my daughter's plans. But this we willtalk about hereafter. The thing to be done now is to follow up yourdiscovery. The most important point is to find out the size of the boxor safe in which the will is kept in this secret room. If it is smallenough to be carried away easily, our course will be very simple. If, onthe other hand, the chest or safe should be too heavy to be moved, Ishall first take a lawyer's opinion on the subject, and either get asearch warrant, or else go quietly into the chamber with a locksmith,force the lock, and take out the will, which, when found, will be amplejustification for our forcible entrance. The first thing to be done isfor Sarah to examine the room, and to bring us word how large the boxis."

  "Do you mean, sir," Sarah asked, in a terrified tone, "for me to go upthat staircase by myself? I could not do such a thing for the world. Icould not, indeed, sir."

  "We will reward you handsomely, Sarah," papa began.

  "Don't ask me, Dr. Ashleigh. I could not do it if it were to make me arich woman all my life. Please, sir, don't ask me."

  The girl was so evidently terrified at the idea of going up the secretstaircase, and she had already done so much for us, that we felt itwould not be right to urge her further, and we looked at each other fora moment or two in silence. Then Polly said,--

  "The proper persons to go are certainly Agnes and I. It is our propertyfor which the search is made, and it is our place to make it. I thinkthat the best plan will be for Sarah to get up some morning an hourearlier than usual. We will be waiting outside for her to open thedoors; papa will be with us, and will stay there while we go inside,examine the room, and bring out the box in which the will is kept, if itis not too heavy for us to carry. What do you say, Agnes?"

  I confess I was frightened at the idea, not of going up into thepriest's chamber, but of entering the house in that sort of secretmidnight way, and at the thought of the scene which would ensue if wewere detected. However, Polly seemed so brave and confident about it,that I was ashamed to offer any opposition, and so said that I thoughtit would be a very good plan.

  "I think so, too," papa said. "It certainly seems a strange expeditionfor us to make at five o'clock on a March morning; still, with such afortune depending upon it, one does not mind doing strange things toobtain it. But before we do it, write to Sophy; tell her what hashappened, and what you intend doing, and ask her to send you by returnof post an authority from her to search in her name as well as your ownfor the w
ill. It would be as well, in case of any misadventure, that weshould be able to prove that we are acting in the joint interest of theheirs. Let me see; to-day is Friday. She cannot get the letter now tillMonday, and you will have her answer on Tuesday. So let us sayWednesday, Sarah. What time is the house stirring?"

  "At seven, sir, the servants get up."

  "Very well; will you be at the front door as the clock strikes six? Weshall be there. If not, some change will have taken place in our plans.And now, Sarah, whether we succeed in our aim or not, we are equallyindebted to you. Here are twenty pounds for you, for what you have donefor us; and if we get the will, you may rely upon it that you shall havea present which will make you comfortable for life."

  Sarah retired delighted with her present, and promising to be ready onWednesday. We then had a long chat over our plans. Papa, who had, Ithink, a strange tinge of romance in his disposition, quite lookedforward to the adventure, and he and Polly talked it over with greatglee. Papa said that he should write to Mr. Petersfield, tell him thatwe had found the chamber, and ask him to come down and be present at thefinding of the will, so that he could--should the box be too large forus to carry--give us his advice as to the best course for us to pursue.

  On Tuesday morning we received the answers to the two letters;--thatfrom Sophy written in high spirits at our discovery, and authorizing usto act in her name; that from Mr. Petersfield, also written in terms ofwarm congratulation, and saying that, although the legality of ourcourse was at least doubtful, he had felt so warm an interest in oursearch, that he would come down to be present at the _denouement_, andhe felt quite sure that the will, when found, would amply justify ourproceedings. He said that he should leave town by the afternoon train.And so nothing whatever seemed likely to occur to postpone ourexpedition, as I could not help hoping in my heart that something woulddo.

  Mr. Petersfield came down in the evening, and was full of spirits at theprospect of recovering the will, and made several jokes about femaleburglars, which amused Polly very much, but made me feel shivery anduncomfortable.

  At night, after we had gone up to bed, Polly came into my room, andsaid,--

  "Agnes, darling, I can see you are nervous and frightened about thisexpedition of ours. You are not strong, you know, and I think thatreally you had better stay at home. I can just as well go by myself; itis only to see if it is there, and when I find it, if the box should betoo heavy for me to carry, Sarah will not mind going up with me thesecond time to help me to bring it down."

  "No, no, Polly," I answered; "I know I am a coward, but I am not so badas that. I will most certainly go with you; nothing would induce me tostay at home and let you go alone. Still, I cannot look at it in thesame amusing way that you do. It is to me a very awful business; but youwill see that when it comes to the point I shall be able to go throughit all calmly. And now, good-night, dear. I will call you at half-pastfive."

  That night I did not close my eyes. I thought over every possibleaccident by which we might be detected, and at last made myself sonervous that I could remain in bed no longer; so I got up, lighted acandle, dressed, and then wrapped myself in a warm shawl, and read tillit was time to call the others. Then I went and woke Polly, who wassleeping as quietly and peacefully as if she were a girl again atGrendon House, with nothing on her mind but the extreme difficulty ofher German lesson. She woke up with a cheerful laugh as she rememberedwhat was to be done. I afterwards knocked at papa's and Mr.Petersfield's doors, and then lighted a large spirit-lamp under akettle, which papa had to make coffee when he went out or returned fromany night visit.

  At five o'clock we all met in the dining-room--looking, as papa said,like a lot of conspirators; and I quite agreed with him. However, by thetime we had taken a cup of coffee and some bread and butter and a sliceof cold ham, our spirits quite rose again, and we all responded gaily toPolly's funny remarks; even I felt more confident and less nervous thanI had done since the expedition had been proposed.

  It was just a quarter past five when we started, and still quite dark.The stars were shining brightly, and the keen March wind made us shiverand draw our wraps more closely round us as we went out into it. Thecarriage was waiting at the door for us, and old Andrew, to whom we hadconfided somewhat of our intended attempt, was stamping up and down, andswinging his arms in the attempt to warm himself. Papa had at firstintended to walk, but he afterwards came to the conclusion that thecarriage passing through the streets at that hour would excite noattention at all, whereas if we were seen walking it would be sure togive rise to all sorts of surmises and conjectures. We pulled down theblinds, and drove out through the town. When we were fairly past thebarracks, we again pulled them up and looked out. There was a faintlight growing up in the east, but the country round was as dark as ever.We met or passed two or three solitary individuals going towards or fromthe town to their work.

  We were a silent party. Papa and Mr. Petersfield made an occasionalremark, and Polly tried once or twice to enliven us, but it would notdo. We all felt that we were engaged upon a serious business, and thatthe future of our lives depended upon its result.

  As we passed through Sturry, we again pulled down the blinds, for thevillagers were astir there. The light smoke was curling up from thechimneys, the flickering fire-light could be seen through the latticedwindows, and many of the men were starting to their work. We drove upthe hill behind the village, and then the carriage turned up a narrowlane, where it would be concealed from the sight of any one going alongthe highroad. Here we got out, entered Mr. Harmer's grounds by a smallgate, and followed a footpath across the park up to the house, and thenwent round to the front door. Now I was once there, I felt no longerfrightened, and the excitement of the adventure set my blood in a glow.

  "What time is it?" I asked papa.

  "Ten minutes to six," he said, "but I dare say Sarah is waiting for us."

  She was, for the moment that we reached the door she opened it, andstepped out to meet us.

  "It is all ready, sir," she said to papa. "I oiled the lock and boltsyesterday, and I had everything undone ready, so as to open the doorwhen I heard your footsteps on the gravel. I am not afraid now, sir, andwill go up with the young ladies if they like."

  "No, Sarah--you had better wait in the hall, to let them know if youhear any one stirring in the house. We shall remain out here. Now,girls, courage and victory!"

  "Now for it!" Polly said, and we went into the hall together.

  There were three candlesticks with lighted candles on the table. We eachtook one of them, and with light steps crossed the hall to thechimney-place. Sarah at once knelt down, and unscrewed the dog's tongue,touched the spring, then the one in the chimney, and the door swunground with a slight creak, startling us, although we expected it.

  While she was doing this, I looked round the hall, and I do not thinkthat the least trace of my past fear remained. I was thinking of thelast time I had been in that hall, some little time before my dearmother's death. How different was my position then, and what changes hadthese sad nine months brought about! I thought, too, for a moment of howit might be the next time I entered it, with Sophy as undisputedmistress; and, quickly as all these thoughts had flitted across my mind,I had only got thus far when the creak of the opening door made me turnsharply round, and prepare for the business on hand.

  "Shall I go first, Agnes?" Polly asked, offering to pass me.

  "No, no," I answered; "I am not in the least afraid now."

  Nor was I. My pulse beat quick, but it was purely from excitement, and Ido not think at that moment, had the Misses Harmer suddenly stepped downthe staircase, before me, I should have been afraid of them. Holding mycandle well in front of me, I stooped under the low doorway, and beganto ascend the narrow stone stairs, Polly following closely behind. Thestairs, as papa had calculated, were only five or six in number, and wethen stood at once in the chamber into which for so many months we hadbeen so longing to penetrate. Now for the will!

  After the first
breathless look round, a low exclamation ofdisappointment broke from each of us. There was no box or chest of anykind to be seen. The room was a mere cell, a little more than six feethigh, eight feet long, and six wide. The walls were of rough stone,which had been whitewashed at no very distant time. The only furniturein it was a small table and an easy chair, both quite modern; indeed,the chair was the fellow to one I remembered in Mr. Harmer's library. Onthe table stood an inkstand, some pens and paper, and there were sometorn scraps of paper on the floor; on picking up one of which Iperceived words in Mr. Harmer's well-known handwriting. On the table,too, were placed two or three of his scientific books, and ahalf-consumed cigar lay beside them.

  It was evident, from all this, that Mr. Harmer had been in the habit ofusing this room for a study, and the warmth which we felt the momentthat we came into it, from its being against the kitchen chimney,suggested his reasons for so using it. It was apparent that the room hadnot been disturbed since he left it after reading there--on, perhaps,the very night before his death.

  There was no other furniture, and no place whatever where the will couldbe concealed. We examined the walls closely, but without any result, theonly opening being a small hole near the roof, about four inches square,and evidently leading into the kitchen chimney for the purpose ofventilation. Hiding-place, as far as we could see, there was none.

  The stairs did not stop on reaching the room, but wound upwards. Iascended them very cautiously, and found that they went up about tensteps, and then ended at a small door, on which were two bolts withwhich any one inside could fasten it, and so prevent its opening, evenif the secret springs outside were discovered and touched. This door, Ihad no doubt, formed the entrance into Mr. Harmer's room, and opened bysome spring which I could not perceive; nor indeed did I look for it,but returned with a heavy heart to Polly, who had remained in thechamber, and who was in vain examining the walls for any sign of ahidden closet. We looked ruefully in each others faces.

  "It is no use, Polly," I said, as cheerfully as I could. "We shall notfind the will here."

  "I am afraid not," she said, and gave me a silent kiss, expressing hersorrow for my sake; and then taking our candles, we went down the stairsinto the hall again.

  Sarah was standing listening with hushed breath.

  "Have you found it, miss?"

  "No, Sarah--the place is quite empty."

  "Oh dear! oh dear!" Sarah exclaimed, almost crying with vexation. "I amso sorry."

  We put our candles down on the hall table, and went out into the openair. We shook our heads in answer to the looks of papa and Mr.Petersfield. They asked no questions, for they saw at once by our looksthat we had found no signs of the will, and the present was no time orplace for explanation. So we turned off from the house, and walked fastacross the grounds, and out to where the carriage was standing, for themorning was fairly broken now, and our figures could have been seen fora considerable distance.

  Once in the carriage, we related all that we had seen, and that therewas no sign of the will to be found. Mr. Petersfield and papa were bothvery much disappointed. Mr. Petersfield remarked that most likely we hadbeen within arm's reach of the will, for it was certain now that Mr.Harmer did use that room for a study, and that no doubt there was somesecret hiding-place there, made originally for the concealment ofimportant papers in case the entrance to the secret chamber should bediscovered. It was a singular fancy of Mr. Harmer's to use that littleplace for writing in.

  "I can quite understand that," papa said. "Mr. Harmer lived a long timein India, where the night and early morning are the pleasantest part ofthe twenty-four hours, and I have heard him say that he often rose atfour o'clock, and got through five hours' writing before breakfast; andI can remember now that I once said to him that he must find it verycold in winter, and he said, 'Oh, I have a very snug little place forit.' I did not ask him where it was, although I dare say had I done sohe would have told me. But it is evident now that it was in thischamber, which from its warmth, and from it so immediately adjoining hisroom, would be very convenient for him, as he would not be under anyfear of disturbing the house by his movements. I have no doubt you arecorrect in your conjecture, and that there is some secret receptaclethere for papers, which could never be discovered without the secretbeing communicated."

  "At any rate we must give it up now," I said, "and I have not the leastidea that we shall ever hear any more of it."

  The others were silent, for they, too, felt that it was in vain now tocherish any further hopes of its discovery.