“Anything there, John?”
“What—what did you expect, sir?”
“A sort of—Thing.”
“No, sir,” answered John eagerly and with conviction, moving deeper into the room. “There’s nothing of that sort there, sir.”
“You see,” explained Barnes. “I’ve just come from the frozen North. There are many strange things there—very strange things.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You may go.”
John accepted his dismissal with alacrity.
“If there are to be mysteries here,” commented Barnes to himself. “We may as well have them picturesque.”