"So you see, Captain Hallett," went on Mr. Bangs, with the same gentle persistence, "being the only person present answering the description given by the medium I feel somewhat--ah--distressed. I must insist that I am unjustly accused. I must ask Miss Phipps here and your daughter herself to say whether or not my conduct toward Miss Lulie has not been quite--ah--harmless and without--ah--malevolence. I shall be glad to leave it to them."
Of the pair to whom this appeal for judgment was made Martha Phipps alone heeded it. Lulie, still white and trembling, was intent only upon her father. But Martha rose to the occasion with characteristic promptness.
"Of course, Mr. Bangs," she declared, "you"ve behaved just as nice as any one could be in this world. I could hardly believe my ears when Marietta said you were an evil influence towards Lulie. You ought to be careful about sayin" such things, Marietta. Why, you never met Mr. Bangs before this evenin". How could you know he was an evil influence?"
Miss Hoag, thus attacked from an unexpected quarter, was thrown still more out of mental poise. "I never said he was one," she declared, wildly. "I only just said there was a--a--I don"t know what I said.
Anyhow _I_ never said it, "twas my control talkin". I"ll leave it to "Phelia Beebe. You know I don"t know what I"m sayin" when I"m in the trance state, don"t you, "Phelia? Anyhow, all I said was.... Oh, "Phelia," wildly, "why don"t you help me out?... And--and I"ve asked no less"n four mortal times for that drink of water. I--I--Oh, oh--"
She became hysterical. The circle ceased to be a circle and became a series of agitated groups, all talking at once. Mr. Bloomer seized the opportunity to turn up the wick of another lamp. Lulie, clinging to her father"s arm, led him toward a chair in a secluded corner.
"Sit down, father," she urged. "Sit down, and rest. Please do!"
The old light keeper"s fiery rage seemed to be abating. He pa.s.sed his hand across his forehead several times and his expression changed. He looked like one awakening from a bad dream.
"I--I cal"late I will set down for a minute or so, Lulie," he faltered.
"I do feel sort of tired, somehow or "nother. I don"t want to talk any more, Mr. Bangs," he added, wearily. "I--I"ll have to think it all out.
Lulie, I cal"late they"d better go home. Tell "em all to go. I"m tired."
Martha Phipps pa.s.sed from group to group whispering.
"I guess we"d better go," she suggested. "He"s pretty well worn out, I"m afraid. Everybody"s things are there in the dinin" room or in the side entry. We"d better go right away, it seems to me."
Galusha had gotten his "things" already, his coat was over his arm.
The others followed his example. A few minutes more and the last of the "ghost seiners" had left the house and were climbing into the automobiles in the yard. Marietta Hoag"s voice was the last distinctly audible.
"I can"t help it," she wailed. "It wasn"t my fault anyway. And--and, besides, that Bangs man hadn"t any right to say "twas him I meant.... I mean the control meant. It wasn"t him at all.... I mean I don"t believe "twas. Oh, dear! I WISH you"d stop askin" questions, Abe Hardin". CAN"T you stop?"
Galusha and Primmie set out for the Phipps" homestead ahead of its owner, but she caught up with them at the gate.
"He"s goin" right up to bed," she said. "Zach will look out for the light to-night."
"And--" asked Galusha, with significant emphasis.
Martha did not reply. She waited until they were in the sitting room and alone, Primmie having been sentenced to go to her own room and to bed.
Miss Cash had no desire for bed; her dearest wish was to remain with her mistress and their lodger and unload her burden of conversation.
"My savin" soul!" she began. "My savin" soul! Did you ever in your born days! When that Marietta Hoag--or that Chinee critter--or Cap"n Jeth"s ghost"s wife--or whoever "twas talkin" that spirit jabber--when she--them, I mean--give out that a small, dark man was right there in that house, I thought--"
"Primmie, go to bed."
"Yes"m. And when I remembered that Nelse Howard was--"
"Go to bed this minute!"
"Yes"m. But how do you "spose he"s goin" to--"
Miss Phipps conducted her to the foot of the back stairs and, returning, closed each door she pa.s.sed through behind her. Then she answered her lodger"s unspoken question.
"Lulie will go with her father and help him up to his room," she said.
"After he is out of the way Nelson can come out and Zach, I suppose, will let him out by the side door."
Galusha smiled faintly. "The poor fellow must have been somewhat disturbed when that--ah--medium person announced that the "evil influence" was in the house," he observed.
Martha sniffed. "I guess likely we were all disturbed," she said.
"Especially those of us who knew. But how did Marietta know? That"s what I can"t understand. Or did she just guess?"
Before Bangs could answer there was a rap on the windowpane. Martha, going to the door, admitted Nelson Howard himself. The young man"s first speech was a question.
"Do you know what became of my hat?" he asked. "Like an idiot I hung my hat and coat in that entry off the dining room when I went in. When I came out just now the hat was gone."
Martha looked troubled.
"It wasn"t that cap you wear so much, at the station and everywhere?"
she asked. "I hope no one took THAT; they"d know whose "twas in a minute."
"Yes, that"s what I"m afraid of. I... Eh? Why, there it is now."
The cap was lying on the couch beside Mr. Bangs" overcoat. Howard picked it up with an air of great relief.
"You brought it over for me, Mr. Bangs, didn"t you?" he cried.
"Why--why, yes, I--I did," stammered Galusha. "You see, I--"
The young man broke in enthusiastically. "By jingo, that was clever of you!" he cried. "I was afraid some one had got that cap who would recognize it. Say," he went on, "I owe you about everything to-night, Mr. Bangs. When Marietta gave out her proclamation that the "small dark man" was in that house I came nearer to believing in her kind of spiritualism than I ever thought I should. I was scared--not on my own account, I hope--but for Lulie and her father. If the old cap"n had found me hiding in that front hall I don"t know what he might have done, or tried to do. And I don"t know what effect it might have had on him.
He was--well, judging from what I could hear, he was in a state that was--that was pretty near to--to--"
While he was hesitating Martha Phipps finished the sentence. "To what they put people in asylums for," she said, emphatically. "He was, there is no doubt about that. It"s a mercy he didn"t find you, Nelson. And if I were you I wouldn"t take any such chances again."
"I shan"t, you needn"t worry. When Lulie and I meet after this it will be--Humph! well, I don"t know where it will be. Even the graveyard doesn"t seem to be safe. But I must go. Tell Lulie I got away safe and sound, thanks to Mr. Bangs here. And tell her to "phone me to-morrow.
I"m anxious about Cap"n Jeth. Sometimes I think it might be just as well if I went straight to him and told him--"
Again Martha interrupted.
"My soul, no!" she exclaimed. "Not now, not till he gets that "small dark man" notion out of his head."
"I suppose you"re right. And Mr. Bangs has set him guessing on that, too. Honestly, Mr. Bangs, you"ve just about saved--well, if you haven"t saved everybody"s life you"ve come pretty near to saving the cap"n"s reason, I do believe. How Lulie and I can ever thank you enough I don"t know."
Galusha turned red. "Ah--ah--don"t--ah--please don"t," he stammered. "It was just--ah--a silly idea of mine. On the spur of the moment it came to me that--ah--that the medium person hadn"t said WHO the small, dark man was. And as I am rather dark perhaps--and small, certainly--it occurred to me to claim ident.i.ty. Almost every one else had received some sort of--ah--spirit message and, you see, I didn"t wish to be neglected."
"Well, it was the smartest dodge that I ever heard of. By jingo, it was!
Say, you don"t suppose Cap"n Jeth will take it seriously and begin to get down on YOU, do you?"
Martha looked grave. "I was wonderin" that myself," she said.
Galusha smiled. "Oh, dear no," he said. "I think there is no danger of that, really. But, Mr. Howard, in regard to that--ah--cap of yours, I...
Eh?... Um... Why, dear me, I wonder--"
"Why is it you wonder, Mr. Bangs?" asked Martha, after a moment"s wait.