The captain shook his head. “Scarcely dignified, I’m afraid, Comethup,” he said. “Of course,” he added with a fine air of carelessness, “we might happen to stroll past the place, and we might just look in at the gates, and——”
Comethup understood perfectly, and nodded with much vigour. So complete indeed was the understanding between them that, when the captain, on parting with him, said with much ceremony, “You might call for me about seven o’clock, Comethup, if you are not better employed,” the boy felt his heart leap, and was eager for the expedition.
But the captain was a man of bluntness, and totally unused to lurking ways. They reached the gates in the semi-darkness, and looked in up the dreary avenue, and then walked slowly on side by side. The captain even waved his stick skyward, and predicted airily that it would be a fine day on the morrow. Comethup agreed with him, with more eagerness than befitted the occasion, even going out of his way to recall impressions of yesterday’s weather as compared with the present. Then, about a hundred yards from the gate, the captain swung on his heel, and they strolled back again. Still no sound about the deserted place, and no little figure in the garden. The captain came from pretence to reality at a bound, and faced sternly upon Comethup.
“Boy, this isn’t right, and I’m not right to be teaching you to hide and skulk here. I’m going up to the house.”
“I think perhaps it would be better,” admitted Comethup slowly.
They marched with much determination through the wind-swept garden and among the drifting leaves. Both Comethup and the captain looked eagerly all about, but saw nothing; they made the circuit of the house, and then stopped at the door by which they had previously entered.
The captain raised his stick and struck sharply on the panel; waited a little, but there was no response. Then he stepped back and glanced up at the windows; but they were all closely shuttered, and no light appeared anywhere. The captain stepped up to the door again and renewed his attack on the panel. After another long period of waiting, there was a sound of shuffling feet on the bare boards within, and the door was opened so far as the length of a chain that held it would allow. The captain pressed forward to the aperture and spoke:
“Is Dr. Vernier within?”
“The doctor say he can’t see no one,” came the reply.