The others returned to him ashamed. But all the way home they walked under an obsession of terror hovering in the blackness above.
It was a night of restless and troubled sleep at Third House. For when the incredible takes the form of undeniable reason, and demands credence, the brain of man gropes fitfully along dim avenues of conjecture. Helga’s premonition of impending disaster lay heavy upon the household.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE NEW EVIDENCE
THE morning of September 21 impended in sullen splendour from a bank of cloud. As the sudden sun struggled into the open it brought a brisk blow from the southwest, dispelling a heavy mist. The last of the fog was being scoured from the earth’s face when Dick Colton was awakened from an unrefreshing sleep by a quick step passing down the hall. Jumping out of bed, he threw open the door and faced Haynes.
“Don’t wake the others,” said the reporter in a low voice.
“Where are you off to?” inquired Colton.
“To the beach. I’ve got a notion that I can settle this Serdholm question here and now.”
“Wait fifteen minutes and I’ll go with you.”
“If you don’t mind, Colton, I’d rather you wouldn’t. I want to go over the ground alone, first. But if I’m not back for breakfast, meet me there and I’ll probably have something to tell you.”
“Very well. It’s your game to play. Good luck! Oh, hold on. Have you got a gun?”