Adventure, June 1911 — page 131: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Chair that Smiled when you sit down you seem to sink into the arms of a human being—so I under- stand——” “Of all the madness!” exclaimed Miss Selward. } “For that reason,” said Mr. Stanley, “you can perhaps pardon my eagerness to learn whether I am right. Not that I have much doubt myself. But _I thought it worth a trip across the ocean to make sure.’ “Tell me how you knew,” manded. He considered a moment: ‘There would be no point in my doing that until the case is proven. Afterward, I should be bound to explain.”” He added meditatively: ‘And each of the chairs has a ring on the forefinger of the left hand; and all the faces have eyes that follow you round the room, and one, it is said, has a smile that comes and goes “ He stopped and added with a change of tone, “Ym not making up all this stuff, you know.” Miss Selward hesitated: ‘‘Have you. any theory as to how my grandmother came by her death?” He answered without hesitation: ‘‘ Yes, a theory—which the room itself would prove or disprove.”’ Miss Selward made up her mind: “ Green, I’m going to have a look for that key in the study. I know where father keeps all his -keys—it can’t do any harm. Do you sup- pose it’s labeled ‘Haunted Chamber’?” ~ She moved away, followed by the house- keeper’s protest—words quickly muffled, however, by the arrival of the promised notes in her palm. Stanley had had time to examine all the portraits in the hall before Miss Selward came back breathless: ‘They were all labeled but these,” she said. ‘‘Father’s most methodical. I don’t believe he knows what these are himself. They are clumsy and old enough—it’s a chance.” She ran up the wide oak stairway, quickly followed by Stanley; and by the time that Mrs. Green had labored up to them in the gallery they had already tried and rejected half the bunch. Suddenly Stanley, who had been wrestling with the stiff lock, looked at the girl: “It turned!” ‘‘Open—open!”’ she cried eagerly. Still he hesitated: ‘‘Do you know, I don’t she com- quite like to; I begin to doubt my own state-. 317 ments now. I’m afraid I shall be made out a liar after all.” However, he was perhaps unconsciously pushing harder than he realized, for a mere touch of her hand above his bent shoulder sent the door inward with a crash. The room was darkened by a green cur- tain hung across a large window opposite the door, but this curtain was full of nfts and holes that admitted strong rays and patches of light. Miss Selward, who. had leaned eagerly forward, fell back with a suppressed scream and clutched the housekeeper’s arm. Stan- ley himself, looking in, gripped the doorpost hard, so strong was the illusion upon him ~ that a company of men sat drinking at the round table, while over their heads shadowy monstrous dragons or crocodiles threatened descent upon them. The next moment, triumph was upper- most. “By George!’ said he. ‘What did I tell you?” “Mercy on us!” ejaculated the plump housekeeper, feeling that the emergency was altogether beyond her. “Shall I ring for help, madam?” | “What for?” asked Stanley. ‘No, we'll just wait to get a little live air into the place, so that we don’t all die of suffocation; and then we’ll look round and see how nearly I was right.” The air that came out into the draughty corridor was peculiarly dead, full of dry rot, attesting that the room and its windows had been shut for generations. hy STANLEY was the first to enter. [IX 0) With a careful avoidance of the CX ghastly seated figures, he crossed to the large window and cautiously tugged to draw one of the green curtains aside. It first resisted, then tore under his hand with a great cloud of dust, then gave way above so that he had barely time to dodge its folds. Half blinded and choked, he groped his way back to the gallery, where the two women stood coughing, the younger with her handkerchief over her mouth. “One good thing,” said Stanley, when he could speak, ‘‘the germs are probably as dead as the air. Shall we explore further?” “T’m not sure that we oughtn’t to wait until my father returns,” said Miss Selward. But curiosity overcame her: ‘There can be no harm in looking.” “‘T want to prove that my list was right,” CORMICLOO SoCO