As faithfully as he could, Jack told the whole series of occurrences.
"But what I can't understand," he ended, "is why this morning it should come at half past seven – five minutes late."
Lavington thought for a minute or two.
"What's the time now by your watch?" he asked.
"Quarter to eight," replied Jack, consulting it.
"That's simple enough, then. Mine says twenty to eight.
Your watch is five minutes fast. That's a very interesting and important point – to me. in fact, it's invaluable."
"In what way?"
Jack was beginning to get interested.
"Well, the obvious explanation is that on the first morning you did hear some such cry – may have been a joke, may not. On the following mornings, you suggestioned yourself to hear it at exactly the same time."
"I'm sure I didn't."
"Not consciously", of course, but the subconscious plays us some funny tricks, you know. If it were a case of suggestion, you would have heard the cry at twenty-five minutes past seven by yourw atch,a ndy ouc ouldn ever have heard it when the time, as you thought, was past."
"Well, then?"
"Well – it's obvious, isn't it? This cry for help occupies a perfectly definite place and time in space."
"Yes, but why should I be the one to hear it? I don't believe in ghosts, spirits", and all the rest of it. Why should I hear the damned thing?"
"Ah! that we can't tell at present. Some people see and hear things that other people don't – we don't know why. Some day, no doubt, we shall know why you hear this thing and I and the girl don't."
"But what am I going to do?" asked Jack.
"Well, my young friend, you are going to have a good breakfast and get off to the city without worrying your head further about things you don't understand. I, on the other hand, am going to look about, and see what I can find out about that cottage back there. That's where the mystery centres."
Jack rose to his feet.
"Right, sir, I'm on, but I say –"
MISSED MISSED MISSED
Jack flushed awkwardly.
"I'm sure the girl's all right," he muttered.
Lavington looked amused.
"You didn't tell me she was a pretty girl! Well, cheer up, I think the mystery started before her time."
V
Jack arrived home. Now he believed Lavington completely.
He found his new friend waiting for him in the hall when he came down for dinner, and the doctor suggested that they should dine together at the same table.
"Any news, sir?" asked Jack anxiously.
"I've collected the life history of Heather Cottage all right. It was tenanted first by an old gardener and his wife. The old man died, and the old woman went to her daughter. Then a builder got it, and modernised it with great success, selling it to a city gentleman who used it for week-ends. About a year ago, he sold it to some people called Turner – Mr. and Mrs. Turner. They seem to have been rather a curious couple from all I can make out". They lived very quietly, seeing no one, and hardly ever going outside the cottage garden. The local rumour goes that they were afraid of something. And then suddenly one day they departed and never came back. The agents here got a letter from Mr. Turner, written from London, instructing him to sell up the place as quickly as possible. The furniture was sold off, and the house itself was sold. The people who have it now are a French professor and his daughter. They have been there just ten days."
Jack digested this in silence.
"I don't see that that gets us anywhere," he said at last.
"Do you?"
"I rather want to know more about the Turners," said Lavington quietly. "They left very early in the morning, you remember. As far as I can make out, nobody actually saw them go. Mr. Turner has been seen since – but I can't find anybody who has seen Mrs. Turner."
Jack paled.
"It can't be – you don't mean."
"Don't excite yourself, young man. Let us drop the subject – for to-night at least," he suggested.
Jack agreed readily enough, but did not find it so easyto vanish the subject from his own mind.
During the week-end, he made inquiries" of his own,but succeeded in getting little more than the doctor had done. He had definitely given up playing golf before breakfast.
On getting back one day, Jack was informed that a young lady was waiting to see him. To his surprise it proved to be the girl of the garden – the pansy girl, as he always called her in his own mind. She was very nervous and confused.
"You will forgive me, Monsieur, for coming to see you like this? But there is something I want to tell you."
She looked round uncertainly.
"Come in here," said Jack.
"Now, sit down, Miss, Miss…"
"Marchaud, Monsieur. Felise Marchaud."
"Sit down, Mademoiselle Marchaud, and tell me all about it."
Felise sat down obediently. She was dressed in dark green to-day, and the beauty and charm of the proud little face was more evident than ever. Jack's heart beat faster as he sat down beside her.
"It is like this," explained Felise. "We have been here but a short time, and from the beginning we hear the house – our so sweet little house – is haunted". No servant will stay in it.
This talk of ghosts, I think it is all folly" – that is until four days ago. Monsieur, four nights running, I have had the same dream. A lady stands there – she is beautiful, tall and very f air. In her hands she holds a blue china jar. She is distressed – very distressed, and continually she holds out her jar to me, as though asking me to do something with it. But alas!" She cannot speak, and I – I do not know what she asks. That was the dream for the first two nights – but the night before last, there was more of it. She and the blue jar faded away", and suddenly I heard her voice crying out – I know it is her voice, you understand – and, oh! Monsieur, the words she says are those you spoke to me that morning. "Murder – Help! Murder!" I awoke in terror. I say to myself – it is a nightmare", the words you heard are an accident. But last night the dream came again. Monsieur, what is it? You too have heard. What shall we do?"
Felise's face was terrified. Her small hands clasped themselves together, and she gazed at Jack. The latter pretended to look calm.
"That's all right, Mademoiselle Marchaud. You mustn't worry. I tell you what I'd like you to do, if you don't mind, repeat the whole story to a friend of mine who is staying here, a Dr. Lavington."
Felise showed her willingness; and Jack went off in search of Lavington. He returned with him a few minutes later.
Lavington gave the girl a keen scrutiny as he acknowledged Jack's hurried introductions. With a few reassuring words, he soon put the girl at her ease, and he, in his turn, listened attentively to her story.
"Very curious," he said, when she had finished. "You have told your father of this?"
Felise shook her head.
"I have not liked to worry him. He is very ill still" – her eyes filled with tears – "I keep from him anything that might excite or agitate him."
"I understand," said Lavington kindly. "And I am glad you came to us, Mademoiselle Marchaud. Hartington here, as you know, had an experience something similar to yours. I think I may say that we are well on the track now. There is nothing else that you can think of?"
Felise gave a quick movement.
"Of course! How stupid I am. It is the point of the whole story. Look, Monsieur, at what I found at the back of one of the cupboards where it had slipped behind the shelf."
She held out to them a dirty piece of drawing-paper on which was made in water colours a sketch of a woman. It was a mere sketch, but the likeness was probably good enough. She was standing by a table on which was standing a blue china jar.
"I only found it this morning," explained Felise. "Monsieur le docteur, that is the face of the moman I saw in my dream, and that is the identical blue jar."