into the darkness overhead, dreadfully tired but too upset to sleep. She was contrasting the terrifying memory with the humiliation of trying to describe it. She wasn't sure which one was worse.
Her door creaked open in the darkness. A small figure padded in and snuggled down next to her.
"Kate, are you awake?" came a whisper. "I'm sorry I made you mad. If you don't like that man, I don't like him either, but it was splendid to hear him call Mr. Roberts a pigheaded fool."
"Yes, I suppose it was," Kate whispered back. She hugged her sister and smiled a little at the memory.
"I've thought of something," Emily whispered. "I'll bet he was a ghost. Did he shimmer a little? Do you think he was a ghost?"
"I don't know," Kate murmured sleepily. "Maybe he was. Maybe his skin shimmered. It certainly looked odd."
"Did he look as if he'd been dead a long time?" Emily asked.
"No," came the drowsy reply.
"Well--how about a little while?" Emily prompted hopefully. She waited. "Kate? Had he been dead a little while?" But no answer came. Her sister was asleep.
Kate's nightmares left her no peace. A man in a black hood kept dragging her from the house. She caught onto chairs, banisters, door frames, anything within reach, but he was stronger than she was and just laughed at her. She couldn't see his face, but his eyes gleamed brightly from beneath the hood. When dawn came, she was glad to get up.
The house seemed very quiet with all the windows closed against the rain. Kate stood at the parlor window and watched the wind tossing the tree branches. Thick, dark clouds hung low in the sky. Aunt Prim came back from the Hall after lunch, bringing Hugh Roberts with her. They hurried up the steps together as large drops began to fall, and in another moment the rain cascaded down in silvery sheets.
Hugh Roberts came into the parlor and warmed up at the fire. He hadn't seen much of his charges in the last couple of weeks, and he was surprised at the change he found in Kate. Prim was right. The girl looked really ill. The big man rubbed his plump hands together as he toasted them in the heat.
"Your aunt has told me quite a tale of adventure," he announced to them. "Do you have any idea how far you were from here? What land you crossed last night?"
"Em, you were on the horse," Kate said. "Did you see any lights or landmarks? I was too busy trying to keep my footing," she added resentfully.
"I couldn't see anything at all," Emily said. "It was as black as a pot out there. I don't know how the horse kept from tripping over his own feet."
Her guardian frowned at her critically. "If it was as dark as that," he observed, "I don't see how anyone could have possibly brought you home. Didn't you carry a light?"
The two girls looked at each other, surprised. Neither had thought about this. "No," answered Kate, "he didn't carry any light at all. I was walking right by the horse, and I kept tripping because I couldn't see. I don't know how he knew where he was going."
Hugh Roberts looked from one to the other of them. "Your great-aunts didn't see this gypsy," he remarked.
"He stopped just past the orchard and said he wouldn't come in," Emily said carelessly.
"And he rode back the direction he came," said Kate with a shudder.
Their guardian rubbed his chin thoughtfully, surveying them both. "And you say this man was my cousin?"
"That's right," said Emily. "He said he was family. He said that your grandfather and his mother were cousins."
"Yes," added Kate, "and that their fathers were brothers."
Hugh Roberts put his hands behind his back and began to pace slowly. "Now, that's a nice little puzzle," he told them. "And if you work it out, you'll find that such a cousin would be the child of Dentwood Roberts's daughter Adele. But Adele Roberts, as you know, Miss Winslow, died as a child. She left no children of her own, and her playmate's son inherited the estate."
Adele again! Kate was dumbfounded. She called to mind the picture from the Hall
Her door creaked open in the darkness. A small figure padded in and snuggled down next to her.
"Kate, are you awake?" came a whisper. "I'm sorry I made you mad. If you don't like that man, I don't like him either, but it was splendid to hear him call Mr. Roberts a pigheaded fool."
"Yes, I suppose it was," Kate whispered back. She hugged her sister and smiled a little at the memory.
"I've thought of something," Emily whispered. "I'll bet he was a ghost. Did he shimmer a little? Do you think he was a ghost?"
"I don't know," Kate murmured sleepily. "Maybe he was. Maybe his skin shimmered. It certainly looked odd."
"Did he look as if he'd been dead a long time?" Emily asked.
"No," came the drowsy reply.
"Well--how about a little while?" Emily prompted hopefully. She waited. "Kate? Had he been dead a little while?" But no answer came. Her sister was asleep.
Kate's nightmares left her no peace. A man in a black hood kept dragging her from the house. She caught onto chairs, banisters, door frames, anything within reach, but he was stronger than she was and just laughed at her. She couldn't see his face, but his eyes gleamed brightly from beneath the hood. When dawn came, she was glad to get up.
The house seemed very quiet with all the windows closed against the rain. Kate stood at the parlor window and watched the wind tossing the tree branches. Thick, dark clouds hung low in the sky. Aunt Prim came back from the Hall after lunch, bringing Hugh Roberts with her. They hurried up the steps together as large drops began to fall, and in another moment the rain cascaded down in silvery sheets.
Hugh Roberts came into the parlor and warmed up at the fire. He hadn't seen much of his charges in the last couple of weeks, and he was surprised at the change he found in Kate. Prim was right. The girl looked really ill. The big man rubbed his plump hands together as he toasted them in the heat.
"Your aunt has told me quite a tale of adventure," he announced to them. "Do you have any idea how far you were from here? What land you crossed last night?"
"Em, you were on the horse," Kate said. "Did you see any lights or landmarks? I was too busy trying to keep my footing," she added resentfully.
"I couldn't see anything at all," Emily said. "It was as black as a pot out there. I don't know how the horse kept from tripping over his own feet."
Her guardian frowned at her critically. "If it was as dark as that," he observed, "I don't see how anyone could have possibly brought you home. Didn't you carry a light?"
The two girls looked at each other, surprised. Neither had thought about this. "No," answered Kate, "he didn't carry any light at all. I was walking right by the horse, and I kept tripping because I couldn't see. I don't know how he knew where he was going."
Hugh Roberts looked from one to the other of them. "Your great-aunts didn't see this gypsy," he remarked.
"He stopped just past the orchard and said he wouldn't come in," Emily said carelessly.
"And he rode back the direction he came," said Kate with a shudder.
Their guardian rubbed his chin thoughtfully, surveying them both. "And you say this man was my cousin?"
"That's right," said Emily. "He said he was family. He said that your grandfather and his mother were cousins."
"Yes," added Kate, "and that their fathers were brothers."
Hugh Roberts put his hands behind his back and began to pace slowly. "Now, that's a nice little puzzle," he told them. "And if you work it out, you'll find that such a cousin would be the child of Dentwood Roberts's daughter Adele. But Adele Roberts, as you know, Miss Winslow, died as a child. She left no children of her own, and her playmate's son inherited the estate."
Adele again! Kate was dumbfounded. She called to mind the picture from the Hall
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