Ransom Read Free

could wait a moment until they all went back to the kitchen. They evidently did not know she had come in. She had no position in her father’s house yet. The spirit of Charmian still lingered in those grotesque rooms.
    â€œHi, there, Marie!” challenged the parlormaid. “Have a pleasant funeral? What was she like? Was there a lot of flowers?”
    â€œOh, sure,” said the lady’s maid loftily, “a grand funeral. And she looked as lovely as life.”
    â€œSay, Marie,” asked the furtive voice of the cook. “What come o’ them fur coats she bought the day she was took sick? Did she keep ’em?”
    â€œSure she kept ’em. She was just crazy about ’em. I’m goin’ up now an’ try on that sable wrap. If there’s time before the family gets back, I’ll come down an’ show ya.”
    There was a sound of the swinging door into the butler’s pantry.
    â€œDo that,” encouraged the cook. Evidently the butler and parlormaid had gone out. “An’ say, Marie, if ya happen ta come across that there string of purple beads she useta wear, just bring ’em along. I’d like ’em as a souvenir! You do that fer me, an’ I’ll say nothin’ about what I know! See?”
    â€œAll right,” agreed Charmian’s maid. “I s’pose you know those beads are real amethyst. They’re worth a lot. But I ain’t goin’ ta do a thing till after Miss Christobel goes back ta school. She’s got eyes like a cat, that girl. She’ll likely go back tanight ur tamorra, and then I got clear sailin’. The master’ll leave it ta me to put things in order. He doesn’t know what she had. He’ll never miss anything.”
    â€œBut there’ll be the bills!”
    â€œNaw, he won’t pay any attention now. He’ll just pay ’em and be done. It’s only women would know. An’ if Miss Christobel is gone, who’s goin’ ta know?”
    â€œThere’s another woman hankerin’ ta get in our missis’ shoes,” warned the cook. “That Romayne lady is come up from Palm Beach. She called this mornin’. What you do you better do quick.”
    â€œMy land!” said Marie in dismay. “Has she come? Well I’ll stay in tanight and get things well outta site. Then let her snoop!”
    â€œWell, if you’re goin’ ta show us that fur wrap, you better get a hustle on. They’ll likely be comin’ back from the funeral right soon an’ you don’t want ta be masqueradin’ round in no dead lady’s clothes.”
    â€œAll right! I’ll hurry!” said Marie and turned toward the back stairs.
    But Christobel had flown, stealthy as a cat, up the velvet-shod front stairs, up the hall away from her own room, to the spacious apartment that had belonged to Charmian.
    She opened the door and slipped her hand inside, taking the key out and fitting it into the outside lock of the door. While she did so she cast one frightened glance into the rooms that had been her stepmother’s. All soft pinks and blues in satin and luxury, a bedroom beyond in lettuce green, and the door wide open into the strange weird bathroom, where all the fixtures, even the bathtub, were done in black, with the floor in black and crimson tiles.
    Christobel shut the door softly and after locking it, removed the key and fled swiftly to her own room, just in time to escape Marie as she came from the back stairs.
    She heard Marie go forward to her mistress’s apartment, try the door, even rattle it, stand in wonder a moment, and then turn away and go swiftly past her door and down the back stairs again. She could hear suppressed excited voices downstairs when she opened her own door, but that was all.
    Christobel stood an instant trembling in her room, wondering what she should do next. She did not feel at home anywhere in that house. She did not even