"Quite right," said Peggy. "Sensible rabbit!"
"And--and I am terribly afraid of snakes--oh, I was sure you would be killed, Peggy!"
"And so you came back to be killed with me? Lobelia, what a foolish girl you are. There, there, don"t cry. Why, the snake isn"t crying, and he really has been killed."
"Oh, Peggy, if you had been killed, I should have died. I shouldn"t have needed any snake to kill me."
"Nonsense!" said Peggy, gruffly. "Lobelia, do stop crying. My goodness gracious _me_, come along, or we shall have them all back again after us. I"m going to bring him too, and get Colney to dry him for me. He"s a beauty! look at him, Lobelia! Not look at him? Why, I tell you he"s dead, as dead as--who was he?--the Father of Lies! Come along, now."
CHAPTER XVI.
THE TERROR BY NIGHT.
All was quiet in No. 18, Corridor C. It was the room directly above Peggy; and was tenanted, as we have seen, by Lobelia Parkins. Lobelia was in bed at this moment, though it was before the usual bedtime. She had felt ill and dizzy-brained for several days, and Peggy had begged her to go to bed early and get a good long sleep. Peggy herself lay on a mattress on the floor. It was against the rule, but for once the law-abiding Peggy was wilfully breaking the rule. She felt strong in Miss Russell"s confidence in her; and she meant to find out who and what it was that was "frightening Lobelia silly," as she expressed it.
Accordingly, here she was, in her wrapper, with a blanket rolled around her. The night was warm, and the window was thrown wide open, Peggy having been brought up to love fresh air. Lobelia shivered, but would rather have frozen stiff than say a word, if Peggy preferred to have the room cold. Each girl hoped the other was asleep. Lobelia hardly dared to breathe; she lay still as a mouse, feeling a delightful sense of comfort and security, such as she had not felt since she came to this nightmare of a place. Not to be alone any more, with the night and the terrible things it brought; to have this friend, so strong, so kind, so helpful, lying close beside the bed, ready to help, to comfort,--Lobelia"s poor shrinking spirit took courage, and she held her breath now and then, for the pure pleasure of hearing Peggy"s calm, regular breathing. Surely she must be asleep! She could not breathe like that unless she were sleeping quietly. Oh, might nothing happen to break her friend"s rest!
Peggy was very nearly asleep, it was true. She had meant to stay awake as long as there was any possibility of any one"s coming into the room.
She was valiantly wide awake at first, and lay blinking at the moon, which Was shining in the most obliging manner full upon the spot where she lay. Peggy wondered what those mountains were like which made the strange figures on the broad, silver disk. They must be tremendous!
Think of them, miles high, with deep, awful valleys between, and all dead and white and dry like bone. And all they seemed to be good for now was for us to make faces and things out of, and stories--to please--the--children. Peggy was getting very sleepy. She opened her eyes wider, and stared harder at the moon. It seemed to be staring back.
They were certainly eyes, not--mountains--and one of them was winking at her; and now she seemed to hear a sound, a voice, coming from far, far--ages away, and saying, whispering--
Then, all in a moment, sleep, and the moon and its mountains were as if they had never been.
The door opened, swiftly and noiselessly, and some one darted in,--a tall, slender figure, with gray drapery over the head and shoulders. It turned and halted, facing the door. Peggy sprang up in bull-dog silence, and was about to fling herself bodily on the intruder; but an arm thrown out, a familiar gesture, a whispered word, checked her, and she stood motionless, hardly drawing breath. Next moment footsteps were heard in the corridor, as of some one hastening, and making every effort to be silent. The door was pushed hastily open, and Miss Pugsley stood on the threshold. She was panting, and her dress was disarranged.
"Ah!" she cried, in a spiteful whisper. "I have caught you at last, have I? I know you, miss! No need to hide your face! I know you well enough, and this is the end of your fine doings. Lift up that veil, I command you!"
The gray figure advanced toward her one step, and lifted the veil; and even Peggy"s stout heart turned to water within her. Miss Pugsley recoiled with a wild shriek from the waxen countenance, the hollow burning eyes, the fleshless, grinning lips; recoiled, staggered, and fled back moaning along the corridor. The gray figure dropped its veil and darted in pursuit. Peggy, running to the door, saw them vanish around the corner; then she returned, to find Lobelia fallen into a dead faint, her head hanging over the side of the bed.
As she bent over her anxiously, rubbing her hands and trying to rouse her, a single board creaked in the corridor; next moment the gray figure entered again, this time quietly and without hurry. The veil was thrown back, revealing a well-known face. The hideous death"s head was now carried in the hand.
"Sorry if I alarmed you, Innocent!" said Grace Wolfe. "What in the name of unreason are you doing here?"
"Oh, Grace, she has fainted!" cried Peggy. "Help me! Bring some water, do!"
Grace vanished again, and was back in two minutes with water and smelling-salts. As they bent over the unconscious girl, bathing her temples and holding the salts to her nose, a few hurried sentences were exchanged.
"What was it? What have you there, Grace?"
[Ill.u.s.tration: ""OH, GRACE, SHE HAS FAINTED!""]
"Oh, nothing; merely Colney"s skull; not her own, you understand, but that of her charmer."
"But--but the eyes glared! I saw them glare, like fire."
"Phosphorus, my sweet babe! Hast no chemistry to thy name? "Twere well to mend thy ways."
"And why--what were you doing, Grace? Oh, see what you have done! Look at this poor child, and tell me why you came to play such pranks in her room."
Peggy"s voice was stern enough. She forgot her love and admiration for Grace; she only saw what seemed like wanton cruelty toward a forlorn and helpless creature, and her blood was up.
Grace shrugged her shoulders.
"I am sorry," she said. "I am even very sorry, Innocent. What more would you have? I didn"t mean to come in; indeed, I had no thought of the little creature at all. I had a vow that the next time that woman looked through my keyhole she should repent it. I think she did. If she does it again, I"ll shoot her; I"ve just told her so."
"Why--how did you know? What did she do?"
"Oh, child, I can"t always tell you how I know things. I feel them in my bones. This is full moon, and it was borne in upon me that she thought I would be up to something to-night, and would be upon the watch; so I went on the watch, too. I arranged a pretty scene of confusion in my room, open window, things all thrown about,--just as it would look if I had been having a lark; left the light burning, went and borrowed this soulful smiler, and treated it a little,--no, Colney knows nothing about it; no use in getting her into trouble; then I took my mosquito-netting mantle, and hid in the broom-closet near my door. Sure enough, I hadn"t been there long when along comes my Puggy, in felt slippers, and looks in at my keyhole. I waited, to make sure, then I came gliding past, without observing her, you see, corridor being pretty dark. She observed me, however, and pursued. I led her quite a pretty dance, till I thought her breath would be getting short, and then I turned in here, partly because it was handy, partly because--well, I have been in the habit of pa.s.sing through here, when the kid was asleep. See! she"s opening her eyes. Speak to her, you! She"s more used to you."
Peggy lifted Lobelia"s head into her lap. "How are you now, dear?" she asked, stroking the thin hair affectionately. "Lobelia, it"s Peggy! You are all right; there"s no one here, no one to hurt you. That--that was only a trick, Lobelia."
Lobelia moaned, but made no reply. Grace leaned forward. "Peggy is right," she said, softly. "It was a trick, Lobelia, and not meant for you at all. I--I never thought about you, I"m afraid. Do you feel better now? I"m truly sorry, my dear."
There was no answering look of intelligence in Lobelia"s face. She lay shivering, with wide, frightened eyes.
"Oh, Grace, I"m afraid she"s ill!" said Peggy. "See! she doesn"t seem to know us. What shall we do? Lobelia! Do look at me! Do speak to me! Oh, Grace, what shall we do? Where are you going?"
"I am going to call Miss Russell," said Grace.
Miss Russell came presently, and looked very grave when she saw Lobelia"s face, which was now flushed with fever, her eyes still staring wide, as if they saw some dreadful vision.
"What has happened?" she said, briefly. "I must have the truth!"
Grace told her the truth, every word, not keeping back anything: merely adding that Peggy had nothing to do with it all.
"And what were you doing here, Peggy?" asked Miss Russell.
Peggy explained. "I meant to tell whatever I found out, to-morrow, Miss Russell," she added. "I thought you would want me to discover what--what had been going on."
Miss Russell nodded. "Go to your rooms now, girls," was all she said.
"Or--no; Peggy, ask Miss Cortlandt to send at once for Doctor Hendon.
Grace, you will remain in your room till I come to you."
Grace tried to rise in obedience; but the sick girl grasped her dress, and held it tight. "Don"t leave me," she said, in a hardly audible whisper.
"You don"t want me, you poor thing!" said Grace; and though she spoke low, her tone was very bitter. "Let me go, and you shall never see me again. Don"t trouble about me, Miss Russell. I"ll pack my trunk, and be off in the morning before any one is awake."
"You will do as I tell you," said Miss Russell, quietly. "Peggy, go quickly! Now, my poor child, let me take your hand. Move softly, Grace, and I think you can slip away."
Grace tried once more to loosen the hold of the cramped, skinny hand, but Lobelia only clutched the tighter; and now, in her delirium, she caught Grace"s hand with her other one, and held it tight, tight. "Don"t leave me!" she muttered. "Peggy, Peggy, don"t leave me!"
Upon this, Grace looked up at Miss Russell; the hard, defiant look was gone, the wild blue eyes were swimming in tears. "Let me stay," she murmured. "Miss Russell, let me stay with her. I"ll go away after she gets well. She thinks I am Peggy, and you know I am a good nurse. Let me stay and take care of her, and I will bless you all my life, even if I never see you again."
"You shall stay," said Miss Russell. "My poor Grace, this may be the hardest and heaviest punishment I could give you. You shall stay, and see what your cruel and wilful carelessness has brought to pa.s.s. G.o.d help us and you!"