The real troubles began next morning. When the two boys started for
breakfast they locked the door carefully, and had reached the stairs,
when, faint but unmistakable as to character, came a long howl of
grief. Fearfully, Trevor hurried back. The puppy was sitting erect
and tragic just inside the door. His delight at Trevor’s return was,
however, short-lived, for he was ignominiously shut in the closet, and
Trevor, with the key in his pocket, again set forth. But he could find
little enjoyment in breakfast, for all the while he was haunted by the
fear that the “goody” would get into the room before he could return,
hear the dog’s howls, and report the matter to Professor Tomkins,
the resident instructor. He hurried back to Masters with his meal
but half eaten, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found the beds
still unmade and the room still untidied. From the closet came eager,
questioning sniffs and whines of impatience. Trevor opened the door,
tossed in a mutton chop, and quickly secured it again. And then the
study door opened and the “goody” entered.
“Good-morning, Mr. Nesbitt.”
“Good-morning, Mrs. Pratt.”
Trevor seized a Latin book, subsided into a chair by the closet
and tried to read. From behind the locked door came sounds of busy
gnawings; once a diminutive growl was audible. But the “goody” was
in the other room and so all was safe. Trevor discovered that he was
holding the book upside down; he corrected the mistake and wondered why
it was that the beds took so long to make this morning of all others.
They were finally completed, however, and the crucial moment arrived.
Armed with dust-cloth, the woman came out and slowly began to move
about the study. Suddenly from behind the locked door came two distinct
taps; it was only the puppy worrying the mutton bone, but the “goody”
didn’t know that, and looked in alarm toward the closet.
“What was that?” she asked.
“What was what?” asked Trevor.
“That sound; them sounds--in there?”
“Pshaw, you’re dreaming; there--there’s no one in----”
Something bumped softly against the door; the woman glanced suspiciously
from Trevor to the closet. Trevor looked carelessly out the window and
began to whistle. A low whine issued from the prison. Trevor heard it,
but apparently the “goody” didn’t; he whistled louder. The whining
increased. Trevor began to sing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account