Part 6 (1/2)

”Has he? Well, I only hope Henshaw has not been playing the fool, or worse, and caused all this fuss for nothing.”

The party moved on to the great hall where the dancing had taken place, and so to the pa.s.sage connecting the main building with the ancient tower.

”Now this is the part which will no doubt interest you most, Mr. Piercy,”

Morriston said; ”this fourteenth century tower, which is to-day in a really wonderful state of preservation.”

”Ah, yes,” the archaeologist murmured; ”they could build in those days.”

They examined the two lower rooms on the ground and first floors, remarked on the thickness of the walls, shown by the depth of the window embrasures, which in older days had been put to sterner purposes; they admired the solid strength of the ties and hammer-beams in the roofs, and scrutinized the few articles of ancient furniture and tapestry the rooms contained, and the ma.s.sive oaken iron-bound door which admitted to the garden.

”Now we will go up to the top room,” Morriston proposed. ”It is used only for lumber, but there is quite a good view from it.”

He preceded the rest of the party up the winding stairs to the topmost door.

”Hullo!” he exclaimed, pus.h.i.+ng at it, ”the door is locked. And the key appears to have been taken away,” he added, bending down and feeling about in the imperfect light.

The whole party was consequently held up on the narrow stairs. ”I'll go and ask what has become of the key,” Morriston said, making his way past them.

In a minute he returned, presently followed by the butler.

”How is it that this top door is locked, Stent?” he asked. ”And where is the key?”

”I don't know, sir. Alfred mentioned this morning that the door was locked and the key taken away; we thought you must have locked it, sir.”

”I? No, I've not been up here since the morning of the ball, when I had those old things brought up from the lower room to be out of the way.”

”Did you lock the door then, sir?”

”No. Why should I? I am certain I did not. Perhaps one of the men did.

Just go and inquire. And have the key looked for.”

”Very good, sir.”

”This is rather provoking,” Morriston said, as they waited. ”I particularly wanted to show you the view, which should be lovely on a clear day like this. If we have to wait much longer the light will be going. Besides, it is quite a quaint old room with a curious recess formed by the bartizan you may have noticed from outside.”

Presently the butler returned accompanied by a footman with several keys.

”We can't find the right key, sir,” he announced. ”No one seems to have seen it. Alfred has brought a few like it, thinking one might possibly fit.”

None of them, however, would go into the lock, not even the smallest of them.

”I can't make it out, sir,” said the man, kneeling to get more effectively to work. But no key would enter. The footman at last took a box of matches from his pocket, struck a light and, holding it to the key-hole, peered in.

”Why, the key is in the lock, on the other side, sir,” he said in astonishment.

”Then the door can't be locked,” Morriston said, pus.h.i.+ng it.

The footman rose and pushed too, but the door showed no sign of yielding; it was fastened sure enough.

”This is strange,” Morriston said. ”Hi! Is any one in there?” he shouted; but no response came.