The breakfast room was a charming little corner reclaimed from a
dingy cell, where in by-gone days guns and ammunition had been
stored, but the peace-loving inhabitants of later times had rendered
these no longer necessary. It was now the most modern room Paul had
seen since his arrival at this great unconventional homestead,
looking quite as if it had been tacked on by mistake to the dismal
old mansion.
Upon entering, he found Miss Guir sitting alone at the table. She was
attired in a charming costume, and looked as fresh as the flowers
before her. She greeted him with a smile, and asked how he had slept.
"Perfectly!" he answered, seating himself by her side, where he
looked out of a low French window opening upon a garden with boxwood
borders and a few belated blossoms.
"But do you know," he continued, "the most extraordinary thing
happened."
He went on to tell of his experience in the closet, thinking it best
to take the bull by the horns and see if anything in Dorothy's
expression would lead him to suspect foul play. She listened to his
story with interest, and, as Paul thought, a slight display of
anxiety, but nothing more. When he had finished, she simply advised
him not to go down those stairs any more, as they were rotten and
dangerous. This was all. Nevertheless Henley felt sure that the girl
knew what lay upon the other side of the door at the bottom. They
chatted along quite pleasantly, Paul endeavoring to lead the
conversation into some instructive channel, but without success.
"I thought perhaps I should have met some of your people at
breakfast," he said, while sipping his coffee.
Dorothy stopped with a piece of toast half way to her lips.
"My people!" she exclaimed.
"Yes," said Paul, unmindful of the impression he had made.
"Really, Mr. Henley, what are you talking about?"
"The Guirs!" said Paul, still unheedful.
Suddenly he looked up, and the expression on the girl's face startled
him.
"Are you ill?" he cried. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"No, no," she gasped. "It is nothing. I am nervous. I am always
nervous in the morning, and you gave me quite a turn. There now, I
shall feel better directly."
If Paul was astonished before, he was dumfounded now. He could not
imagine how anything he had said could produce such an effect, but he
watched the return of color to the girl's face with satisfaction.
Presently she looked up at him with a smile and said: "It is all right now, but you must excuse me for a minute. I shall be
back immediately."