A few moments later I found myself again in the lounge-hall of the Red House; and the place now seemed to me to have taken on an air of oppressive mystery.  In the very deserted silence of the house I detected something sinister.  Of course, no doubt this was merely an effect created upon my mind by the ghastly associations of the place; but I know that whereas on the previous day surprise and curiosity had been the most characteristic emotions aroused by our discoveries there, this morning something darker seemed to have taken their place; and I found myself listening for a sound that never came and wondering vaguely and vainly, what secret was hidden in this desolate mansion.

By Gatton’s orders the room in which that gruesome supper was laid had been left undisturbed and once more we stood surveying the spotless napery and sparkling silver.  I listened to the ticking of the clock upon the mantelpiece and stared dully at the wine resting in the ice-pail which now contained nothing but dirty water.  A big dish of fruit stood upon the table, peaches and apricots and nectarines; and several large wasps had entered through one of the windows which some one had opened, and were buzzing sleepily around the dish.  Lastly—­there beside the clock stood Isobel’s photograph.

For any evidence of a struggle I looked in vain, but the nature of my companion’s investigation was more obscure.  Again the whole of his attention seemed to be directed upon the wall, the window-ledges and the door-frame.  Suddenly: 

“Ah,” I said, “I know what you are looking for!  Some connection between this room and the garage?”

Gatton, who was kneeling examining a lower panel of the door, looked up with a grim smile.

“Perhaps I am,” he replied.

By the tone of his voice I knew that whatever he had sought he had failed once more to find.  Presently, desisting from this quest of his, he stood and stared curiously for some time at a recess immediately behind one of the high-backed chairs drawn up to the supper table.  We had already explored this recess and had found it to be vacant.  Gatton advanced towards it and drew aside the curtain which was draped in the opening.

It was a recess about four feet wide by three deep and it contained nothing in the nature of furniture or ornament.

“Does anything strike you as curious about this arrangement?” said my companion.

I looked for a long time, but failed to detect anything of a notable nature.

“Nothing,” I said, “except that it seems a peculiar idea to drape a curtain before a recess in that way.”

“And such a curtain!” said Gatton, fingering the texture.

I in turn touched the material with my fingers and found it to be an extremely heavy velvet.  Looking upward, I noticed that it was attached to a rod set so high in the wall on either side that the top of the drapery actually touched the ceiling.