Adventure, June 1911 — page 189: what you’re looking at

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

The Emerald Buddha slowly. “I never'-had a man friend—nor very many of any sort, I fear. We have al- ways miéved about so much from place to Inte.” ' “Perhaps not friends,” I said, and as I did so I placed my hand over hers, which lay beside me upon the leather seat of the settle. ‘At least not friends only. I have always dreamed, all my life, of a woman like you, who would be close beside me, and share all my hopes and dreams, and be the cause of them all as well, and be glad of my suc- cesses and not think the less of me because of my failures. But a woman to be all that must be more than a man’s friend, Miss - Temple—she must be his wife.”’ , The color flooded her cheeks as I said this, but she did not draw away her hand. ‘‘A woman would have to be very greatly loved by a man, and love him very greatly in return, to be all that to him,” she said. “T can only speak for myself,” Isaid. “TI love you very greatly—so much, indeed, that I am telling you of it now—when I have the opportunity—instead of waiting, as no doubt you think I should. But we have passed through much trouble, you and I, and that has brought us close to.each other. I want you, I need you, I love you, and I shall always love you!”’ I drew her to me, and when she put her head upon my breast I knew that I had found my heart’s desire. IT MUST have been half-an hour later when Major Temple burst into _ the library in.a great state of excite- ment atid asked if we had seen anything of Boris, his favorite mastiff. He had suddenly - realized, a few moments ago, that he had not seen him since his return from Exeter. He made inquiries, but none of the servants had seen the dog since the day before. I remem- bered at once the howling I had heard during thenight andspoke of it. The Majorthought for a moment, then raised his head with a sudden look of comprehension. “Don’t you remember, Mr. Morgan, that Boris was with us whén we made our ‘examination of the ereen room last night? I do. not recollect seeing:him after that. The poor fellow has no doubt been iocked in there ever since, and it was. his howls that you heard!”’ We followed him to the green room and Major Temple tried several keys before finding one that could open it. At last the tock turned, however, and he attempted to push open the door. It refused to open, faces. 3795 and felt, he said, as though some heavy object had been placed against it. By push- ing with our united strength we forced the door inward sufficiently to allow us to enter. The Major took a candle from my room and we squeezed our way into the place with some difficulty, Muriel remaining outside. What was our astonishment to see lying upon the floor, his head close to the door, as though struck down in an effort to escape, the Major’s mastiff, Boris, stone-dead, his eyes wide open and staring, his mouth dis- tended and still covered with foam, his face wearing an expression of intense fear! It was a horrible sight, and we looked at each other in alarm. “My ——!” said the Major. “This room is accursed! Let us go!” CHAPTER XVII I SLEEP IN THE GREEN ROOM > HAT is the matter?” asked his daughter as she saw our startled ‘“‘Isn’t Boris there?” The Major’s tone was grave and solemn. “He is there, Muriel, and he is dead. I do not know what is the secret of that room, but I shall never enter it again!” He turned from us and led the way down the hall. When we reached the floor below, the Major directed Gibson and one of the other servants to remove the dog’s body from the room, and we retired to the library, where we discussed the matter for a long time. But in spite of our attempts to regard the event in a common-sense light, we ‘could not shake off a mysterious feeling of dread at the thought of these two creatures, a man and a dog, having so inexplicably come to their ends in this room. In Ashton’s case there was tangible evidence of the cause of death, but on the dog’s body there was no wound or mark of any sort. Miss Temple essayed a few airs upon the piano, but our thoughts were not attuned to music, arid presently, as it was close to eleven o’clock, she said good-night to us both and left us. I seized the opportunity to tell the Major of my love for his daughter, and, after his first gasp of surprise, he heard me out with remarkable calmness, though there was a frown upon his forehead. At the mention of my profession and my income I noticed that Major Temple’s frown relaxed somewhat, but when I mentioned CoOmicoooks. Con