The Night Walk
Events were following each other rapidly at the Mansion. After leaving the cellar, Oakes led us back through the grounds, around the south side of the house. There was no entrance to the cellar there, apparently.
When we reached our rooms and I had deposited the mask and gown on my table, Oakes turned to the care-taker, Cook, who accompanied us: "You have been several years here, have you not?"
"Yes, Mr. Clark."
"When did the first trouble begin?"
"About three years ago, sir, following some repairs that were made after Mr. Odell Mark bought the place from his brother."
"What do you know of those repairs?"
"Well, sir, as perhaps you have noticed, the door from the dining-room to the parlor opens on a short hall about three feet deep. Now, sir, Mr. Odell Mark had the wall thickened between the rooms; he thought it was weak, and this hall represents the thickness of the wall."