? ? ? ? " 'And under,' he cried. 'You have omitted the "and under." '
? ? ? ? "I had thought that it meant that we were to dig, but now, of course, I saw at once that I was wrong. 'There is a cellar under this then?' I cried.
? ? ? ? " 'Yes, and as old as the house. Down here, through this door.'
? ? ? ? "We went down a winding stone stair, and my companion, striking a match, lit a large lantern which stood on a barrel in the corner. In an instant it was obvious that we had at last come upon the true place, and that we had not been the only people to visit the spot recently.
? ? ? ? "It had been used for the storage of wood, but the billets, which had evidently been littered over the floor, were now piled at the sides, so as to leave a clear space in the middle. In this space lay a large and heavy flagstone with a rusted iron ring in the centre to which a thick shepherd's-check muffler was attached.
? ? ? ? " 'By Jove!' cried my client. 'That's Brunton's muffler. I have seen it on him and could swear to it. What has the villain been doing here?'
? ? ? ? "At my suggestion a couple of the county police were summoned to be present, and I then endeavoured to raise the stone by pulling on the cravat.
Pages:
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214