Part 18 (1/2)

There was instant commotion, with cries and exclamations from all. Quick as the others were, the old woman was at his side before them, snarling with rage. Her talon-like fingers sunk into his arm, and her gaze went darting about the room in a most convincing way. Some minutes pa.s.sed before the old woman could be quieted. Then King explained his action.

He swore solemnly, if sheepishly, that he could not have been mistaken, and yet the owner of that eye had vanished as if swallowed up by the mountain.

Baron Dangloss was convinced that the young man had seen the eye.

Without compunction he began a search of the room, the old woman looking on with a grin of glee.

”Search! Search!” she croaked. ”It was the Spirit Eye! It is looking at you now, my fine baron! It finds you, yet cannot be found. No, no! Oh, you fools! Get out! Get out! All of you! Prince or no Prince, I fear you not, nor all your armies. This is my home! My castle! Go! Go!”

”There was a man here, old woman,” said the Baron coolly. ”Where is he?

What is your game? I am not to be fooled by these d.a.m.nable tricks of yours. Where is the man?”

She laughed aloud, a horrid sound. The Prince clutched Tullis by the leg in terror.

”Brace up, Bobby,” whispered his big friend, leaning down to comfort him. ”Be a man!”

”It--it's mighty hard,” chattered Bobby, but he squared his little shoulders.

The ladies of the party had edged forward, peering into the kitchen, alarm having pa.s.sed, although the exclamation ”boo!” would have played havoc with their courage.

”I swear there was some one looking through that crack,” protested King, wiping his brow in confusion. ”Miss--er--I should say--_you_ could have seen it from where you stood,” he pleaded, turning to the lady in grey.

”Dear me, I wish I had,” she cried. ”I've always wanted to see some one snooping.”

”There is no window, no trap door, no skylight,” remarked the Baron, puzzled. ”Nothing but the stovepipe, six inches in diameter. A man couldn't crawl out through that, I'm sure. Mr. King, we've come upon a real mystery. The eye without a visible body.”

”I'm sure I saw it,” reiterated Truxton. The Prince's aunt was actually laughing at him. But so was the Witch, for that matter. He didn't mind the Witch.

Suddenly the old woman stepped into the middle of the room and began to wave her hands in a mysterious manner over an empty pot that stood on the floor in front of the stove. The others drew back, watching her with the greatest curiosity.

A droning song oozed from the thin lips; the gesticulations grew in weirdness and fervor. Then, before their startled eyes, a thin film of smoke began to rise from the empty pot. It grew in volume until the room was quite dense with it. Even more quickly than it began, it disappeared, drawn apparently by some supernatural agency into the draft of the stove and out through the rickety chimney pipe. Even Dangloss blinked his eyes, and not because they were filled with smoke.

A deafening crash, as of many guns, came to their ears from the outside.

With one accord the entire party rushed to the outer door, a wild laugh from the hag pursuing them.

”There!” she screamed. ”There goes all there was of him! And so shall we all go some day. Fire and smoke!”

Not one there but thought on the instant of the Arabian nights and the genii who went up in smoke--those never-to-be-forgotten tales of wonder.

Just outside the door stood Lieutenant Saffo of the guard, his hand to his cap. He was scarcely distinguishable, so dark had the day become.

”Good Lord!” shouted Tullis. ”What's the matter? What has happened?”

”The storm, sir,” said Saffo. ”It is coming down the valley like the wind.” A great crash of thunder burst overhead and lightning darted through the black, swirling skies.

”Very sudden, sir,” added Mr. Hobbs from behind. ”Like a puff of wind, sir.”

The Witch stood in the door behind them, smiling as amiably as it was possible for her to smile.

”Come in,” she said. ”There's room for all of you. The spirits have gone. Ha, ha! My merry man! Even the eye is gone. Come in, your Highness. Accept the best I can offer--shelter from the hurricane. I've seen many, but this looks to be the worst. So it came sudden, eh? Ha, ha!”