“Not without me,” grunted Patsy.
Cautiously they crept up to the main floor, and went into the dining room, the door of which was a little way open. The curtains were drawn at the window, but there was enough light for them to see that the furniture was all shrouded in denim, and that the pictures on the walls had been covered with sheets.
The effect was ghostly, but it was natural enough. The owners of the house wanted their belongings to be kept as fresh as possible while they were away.
The other rooms on this floor were also wrapped in cloths, and all were so silent that it was difficult to imagine them full of life and brightness, as probably they were when the family was at home.
To the next floor went the three investigators, and there they found a handsome drawing-room in front[Pg 41] and two smaller rooms behind, that probably were used as a cardroom and my lady’s special sitting room.
“That’s a fine grand piano over there,” observed Patsy, in a whisper. “Gee! I’d like to hear some ragtime on that.”
Patsy Garvan had a way of being incongruous without knowing it. When an idea came into his head, he was liable to give it utterance, regardless of where he might be.
The piano, covered all over with an immense sheet that hung down on all sides, had attracted his attention to such a degree that it seemed to fascinate him. He tiptoed over the luxurious rugs on the polished floor of the drawing-room until he was close to the piano, and he put his hands on it.
“Say, chief!” he whispered. “I’m just going to open this music box and see how it looks inside.”
“Come away!” hissed Chick. “Are you crazy?”