The prospect of visiting that remote part of the house so late in the day did not inspire her with any enthusiasm, but anything was preferable to waiting about in that awful hall. It was most singular why they should be so long. She made her way upstairs slowly, stopping at every sixth step to listen for sounds; but all was quiet as a tomb. As she groped her passage along the nightlike corridor at the top of the house, it occurred to her for the first time that she had never yet seen the East Room, though all her acquaintances seemed to have done so. She smiled rather contemptuously. Well, it would complete her experience of the place!
The door stood wide open. It was dim twilight within, and the apartment did not strike her as very noteworthy. It was small and square, with a single window on the far side; very poorly furnished. But as she stood at the door, looking in, her eyes immediately fell upon something which completely took away all her interest in the room itself. Mrs. Richborough was lying extended on the floor, with Judge kneeling beside her!
She rushed forward quickly. "Whatever's the matter, Mr. Judge? Is she ill?"
He looked up from bathing her forehead and lips with the contents of a pocket-flask.
"It's a swoon, and rather a bad one. I couldn't leave her, to come down to you."
"How did it happen?"
"I don't know. She was lying like this when I came down."
Isbel turned hastily from the unconscious woman to look at Judge. "Then you have been up?"
"Yes. And you?"
"Yes; but I remember nothing-nor, of course, you, either?"
"Nothing." He went on dabbing Mrs. Richborough's forehead.
"Is that doing her any good? Hadn't we better try and get her downstairs?"
"Her pulse is stronger, and I think she is coming round. It's hopeless to think of a doctor in these parts. If we can get her in the car, we'll soon run her down to Worthing. She must have had a fright of some sort."
"But how came she to find her way up here?"
"I suppose she looked everywhere for me…I've been staring at something on the floor over there for some while, but haven't been able to get up to investigate. It looks like a ring, or a brooch. She may have dropped it in falling."
Isbel, following the direction of his finger, detected the article, and picked it up. It proved to be a lady's diamond ring.
"It is a ring-and a rather nice one. It's very much like mine."
As she spoke the words, she instinctively felt for her engagement ring beneath her glove…It was not there!…She whipped off the glove, in dismay. Her third finger was ringless.
The recovered ring fitted it perfectly.
"It is mine!" she went on, with a desperate effort to keep calm, but unable to keep a slight break out of her voice.
"What! You surely must be mistaken."
"It's my engagement ring and ought to have been on my finger."
They stared at each other.
"You are sure?"
"Yes, I am quite sure."
"Then what is it doing her, Miss Loment? I can't understand it. You haven't been in this room before?"
"I have never been in this room before in my life. And I wore this ring at lunch to-day."
She retained it on her finger and replaced her glove over it. At the same time, Mrs. Richborough's face and neck stirred uneasily, and her eyelids flickered. Judge remained on his knees.
"How are we to understand it, do you suppose?" demanded Isbel, after a long pause, in the increasing darkness.
"I will not suggest what I don't think, Miss Loment, and I may not suggest what I do think."
"Oh, I know what you mean-and it's ghastly! It can't be…" Her face suddenly crimsoned; she felt as if she were on fire. "But perhaps I don't know what you mean. What do you mean?"
"I cannot say. But I can give you a piece of counsel. You cam here to-day to end a mystery, and you have started a still worse one. Things can't go on like this; so I strongly advise that you make this your last visit to my house. This is the second time something has happened without your knowledge or consent."
"It's the uncertainty which is so horrible…Oh, can't something be done? Have you no initiative at all, Mr. Judge? You call yourself a man."
"It is high time to retrace our steps. We have already gone too far. I think my best plan will be to shut the house u altogether. I think I will do that."
He applied himself to moistening Mrs. Richborough's lips with the brandy. Her limbs began to move restlessly; it was evident that she was on the verge of regaining consciousness. After a moment or two he again looked up.
"I have only to express my sincere repentance at having invited you here this afternoon, Miss Loment. Of course, I should not have done so, and I am very sorry for it. My only excuse is that I knew no more than yourself."
She made no reply.
Mrs. Richborough at last opened her eyes. Judge, bending lower, obliged her to take a sip of the brandy, and the powerful stimulant had a nearly instant effect upon her heart. She struggled into a sitting posture, supported by his arm, and smiled wanly.
"Where am I? What has happened?"
"It's I-Mr. Judge-and this is Miss Loment. You have fainted."
"How idiotic!"
He forced her to swallow another mouthful of the spirit, and the colour started to return to her cheeks.
"You'll be all right in a minute or two. We'll get you downstairs to the car, make you comfortable, and run you home in less than no time. Feeling better already, aren't you?"
"But so absurdly shaky!…I remember now. I had a sudden fright. It was horrid, and I was all alone."
"We'll hear about it later; never mind now."
With Isbel's assistance he succeeded in raising her to her feet. She was established in the chair, while the girl set her attire to rights. She started looking round on the floor uneasily.
"There should be a ring on the ground somewhere. Can you see it?"
"It has been picked up," said Isbel shortly.
"Oh!"
"It belongs to me. Can you tell me how it comes to be in this room, Mrs. Richborough?"
"It fell down from the wall. I did not know it was yours."
Judge and Isbel exchanged glances.
"How do you mean 'it fell down from the wall'?"
"It does sound stupid, but so it happened. That's what frightened me. It seemed to tumble on to the middle of the floor, from nowhere at all."
"But you said from the wall. Which wall?"
Mrs. Richborough turned weakly in her chair, and pointed behind her. "That wall. Where the stairs were previously. It rolled on to the floor, and I was just going to pick it up when I must have fainted."
"But what stairs are you alluding to?" asked Judge.
She smiled, closed her eyes, and was silent for a moment.
"How can I explain? It sounds incredible, but I saw a flight of stairs in the middle of that wall, ascending out of sight. I actually went up them-or could I have dreamt it all? I'm afraid my mind is all upside-down this afternoon."
Isbel coughed dryly, and glanced at her watch. Judge again pressed his flask on the widow.
"I won't, thanks. My heart is scarcely in a state to stand over-stimulation. If you could help me, I think I could make my way downstairs. That would be best for everybody."
Judge offered her his arm. On getting outside, he shut and locked the door of the room, putting the key in his pocket.
"You had better lead the way, Miss Loment. Take my torch."
Slowly and with frequent pauses, they passed through the corridor and descended the stairs to the hall. Judge was about to proceed outside, but Mrs. Richborough asked to be allowed to sit down, to recover her strength.