If only I could hide tonight and watch the performance, but there was nothing to hide behind. The room had been cleared of all furniture, save the table and chairs. Behind the curtains possibly ... But how could I get away without being detected, and conceal myself there?
Then I remembered Gloria’s wall-scaling ability. This one would be very simple to scale; it was on the first floor. If I left the curtains open an inch or so, I did not think it would be noticed in the gloomy atmosphere Madame favored. I opened them an inch and a half, which should give me a good view of the table. It remained only to have a ladder from the potting shed moved close to the window, and I was ready for the séance .
Chapter Ten
I was careful to wear a dark gown that evening. Dr. Hill dined with us, but Mr. Sinclair did not arrive till eight o’clock. Country hours were kept by our whole little circle. I felt a strong urge to compliment Welland on his engagement, but as it was by no means a new occurrence, I took the idea he would think it showed too much interest on my part, and behaved just as usual.
Aunt Loo spoke at length on her trance during the meal, and while we awaited the arrival of the Franconis. Any mention of the Magician or St. Joan, or in other words freedom of choice and deceit, had been expunged from her comments. Mr. Sinclair expressed rampant interest in the trance, often expressing the desire that he could be entranced himself.
“Perhaps you will tonight, Mr. Sinclair,” my aunt told him. “I feel some peculiar stirring in the air. Can you not feel it?”
He imagined he could, but Pierre outspoke him. “I close the door. I too am feeling the cold drafts.” Loo smiled commiseratingly at Sinclair, her major listener.
“You are wearing the novel robe,” Pierre congratulated me, his wandering eye taking in every seam and tuck of it. “Very much elegant.”
“Thank you. I do not mean to be outshone by your new jacket, you see.”
“The jacket is not shining yet. All the naps are on it still. The old jacket had the shining elbows. Ha, but you mean my shining buttons, yes? I comprehend your joke.” He admired first his brass buttons, then my crystal ones, which paraded down the front of my gown. He soon became lost in admiring other parts of me, so obviously that I felt compelled to pull a shawl about my shoulders.
“You mentioned closing the door, Peter,” Sinclair said, turning his glasses toward us. “Pray do so. Miss Ford is feeling chilly. She has covered her—shoulders.” There was a grin hovering about his lips. How I longed to rip those lenses from his eyes! I could not restrain myself much longer.
E’er long, the Franconis arrived. I thought Mr. Franconi would join the others at the table tonight, since six had been mentioned as a good number for a séance, and my not sitting would make the party five. He felt more at home in the kitchen, I expect. He did not even enter the saloon, but vanished belowstairs as soon as they arrived. When the group arose to adjoin to the feather room, Pierre sat behind, to bear me company.
“I shall not be joining with the ghosters,” he announced. “I am atheist in this matter. Valerie and I shall be staying here.”
I wanted to crown him with a candlestick. “No, no! Go along with them, Peter,” I begged.
“We will be having more enjoyments here alone together with each other.”
“No, please. It is not at all necessary to stay. I don’t mind being alone. I shall read the newspaper. I haven’t a notion what is passing in the world. I haven’t seen a paper since leaving home.”
“We shall reading the newspaper together,” he decided, arising to get only the one paper. He drew his chair up till it touched mine, opened the paper, and then leaned over to read my half.
“We insist you join us, Cousin,” Mr. Sinclair said, removing the paper from his fingers and handing it to me. “Miss Ford will have to do without your company for one
Then I remembered Gloria’s wall-scaling ability. This one would be very simple to scale; it was on the first floor. If I left the curtains open an inch or so, I did not think it would be noticed in the gloomy atmosphere Madame favored. I opened them an inch and a half, which should give me a good view of the table. It remained only to have a ladder from the potting shed moved close to the window, and I was ready for the séance .
Chapter Ten
I was careful to wear a dark gown that evening. Dr. Hill dined with us, but Mr. Sinclair did not arrive till eight o’clock. Country hours were kept by our whole little circle. I felt a strong urge to compliment Welland on his engagement, but as it was by no means a new occurrence, I took the idea he would think it showed too much interest on my part, and behaved just as usual.
Aunt Loo spoke at length on her trance during the meal, and while we awaited the arrival of the Franconis. Any mention of the Magician or St. Joan, or in other words freedom of choice and deceit, had been expunged from her comments. Mr. Sinclair expressed rampant interest in the trance, often expressing the desire that he could be entranced himself.
“Perhaps you will tonight, Mr. Sinclair,” my aunt told him. “I feel some peculiar stirring in the air. Can you not feel it?”
He imagined he could, but Pierre outspoke him. “I close the door. I too am feeling the cold drafts.” Loo smiled commiseratingly at Sinclair, her major listener.
“You are wearing the novel robe,” Pierre congratulated me, his wandering eye taking in every seam and tuck of it. “Very much elegant.”
“Thank you. I do not mean to be outshone by your new jacket, you see.”
“The jacket is not shining yet. All the naps are on it still. The old jacket had the shining elbows. Ha, but you mean my shining buttons, yes? I comprehend your joke.” He admired first his brass buttons, then my crystal ones, which paraded down the front of my gown. He soon became lost in admiring other parts of me, so obviously that I felt compelled to pull a shawl about my shoulders.
“You mentioned closing the door, Peter,” Sinclair said, turning his glasses toward us. “Pray do so. Miss Ford is feeling chilly. She has covered her—shoulders.” There was a grin hovering about his lips. How I longed to rip those lenses from his eyes! I could not restrain myself much longer.
E’er long, the Franconis arrived. I thought Mr. Franconi would join the others at the table tonight, since six had been mentioned as a good number for a séance, and my not sitting would make the party five. He felt more at home in the kitchen, I expect. He did not even enter the saloon, but vanished belowstairs as soon as they arrived. When the group arose to adjoin to the feather room, Pierre sat behind, to bear me company.
“I shall not be joining with the ghosters,” he announced. “I am atheist in this matter. Valerie and I shall be staying here.”
I wanted to crown him with a candlestick. “No, no! Go along with them, Peter,” I begged.
“We will be having more enjoyments here alone together with each other.”
“No, please. It is not at all necessary to stay. I don’t mind being alone. I shall read the newspaper. I haven’t a notion what is passing in the world. I haven’t seen a paper since leaving home.”
“We shall reading the newspaper together,” he decided, arising to get only the one paper. He drew his chair up till it touched mine, opened the paper, and then leaned over to read my half.
“We insist you join us, Cousin,” Mr. Sinclair said, removing the paper from his fingers and handing it to me. “Miss Ford will have to do without your company for one
Similar Books
