"I will follow him," whispered Mr. Gryce. "Don't be afraid, ma'am. This
whistle will bring a man in from the street at once."
"I am not afraid. I would be ashamed----"
But it was useless for her to finish this disclaimer. Mr. Gryce was
already in the hall. He returned speedily, and saying that the
experiment was likely to be a failure, as the old man had gone to his
own room and was preparing himself for bed, he led the way into the
study, and with purpose, or without a purpose--who knows?--idly touched
a button on the table top, thus throwing a new light on the scene. It
was Miss Butterworth's first experience of this change of light, and she
was observing the effect made by the violet glow now thrown over the
picture and the other rich articles in the room when her admiration was
cut short, and Mr. Gryce's half-uttered remark also, by the faint sound
of the valet's descending steps.
Indeed, they had barely time to regain their old position behind the
parlor portieres when Bartow was seen hurrying in from the hall with his
former busy air, which this time remained unchecked.
Crossing to his master's study, he paused for an infinitesimal length of
time on the threshold, as if conscious of something being amiss, then
went into the room beyond, and, without a glance in the direction of the
rug, which had been carefully relaid on the spot where his master had
fallen, began to make such arrangements for the night as he was in the
habit of making at this hour. He brought a bottle of wine from the
cupboard and set it on the table, and then a glass, which he first wiped
scrupulously clean. Then he took out his master's dressing gown and
slippers, and, placing them to hand, went into the bedroom.
By this time the two watchers had crept from their concealment near
enough to note what he was doing in the bedroom. He was stooping over
the comb which Mr. Gryce had left lying on the floor. This small object
in such a place seemed to surprise him. He took it up, shook his head,
and put it back on the dresser. Then he turned down his master's bed.
"Poor fool!" murmured Miss Butterworth as she and her companion crept
back to their old place behind the parlor curtains, "he has forgotten
everything but his old routine duties. We shall get nothing from this
man."
But she stopped suddenly; they both stopped. Bartow was in the middle of
the study, with his eyes fixed on his master's empty chair in an
inquiring way that spoke volumes. Then he turned, and gazed earnestly at
the rug where he had last seen that master lying outstretched and
breathless; and awakening to a realization of what had happened, fell
into his most violent self and proceeded to go through the series of
actions which they were now bound to consider a reproduction of what he
had previously seen take place there. Then he went softly out, and crept
away upstairs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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