The House Of The Bears Read Online Free Page A

see.’ Abruptly, Morne went down. At the foot of the steps he turned, stretched up just inside the staircase, and took something from a ledge in the wall. Then, to Palfrey’s surprise, he pulled a door to; the door had been flush with the wall behind the curtains, and Palfrey had not seen it before.
    The ‘something’ was a key. Morne locked the door and put the key into his pocket.
    ‘I shall telephone the police at once,’ he said.
    Morne went into the next room and telephoned to Corbin Police Headquarters.
    ‘I’m glad you’ve done it,’ said Palfrey, as he rang off.
    ‘I’ am glad you prompted me,’ said Morne. He hesitated, and then went on in a voice filled with pain: ‘This was the third accident to befall my daughter in as many months. I did not wish to believe the obvious – that someone was attempting to murder her. I am glad you forced the issue.’
    After saying good night to their host, Palfrey and Drusilla went to their room.
    ‘Not a pleasant evening,’ said Palfrey. ‘There’s a key in our door, so we can sleep in peace.’
    Drusilla turned abruptly and he saw alarm writ large in her eyes.
    ‘Hallo, what’s the matter?’
    ‘You said there was a key,’ said Drusilla.
    ‘There was.’ Palfrey looked at the keyhole. He remembered the key, a large one in the old-fashioned look. He was quite sure that he had seen one, but it was not there now.
    ‘Which piece of furniture would you like me to drag across the door?’ he asked, smiling.
    ‘It isn’t funny,’ said Drusilla.
    ‘It certainly isn’t,’ agreed Palfrey. He went to one of the easy-chairs, which rolled easily on its castors, and pushed it beneath the handle of the door. It fitted tightly, and when he tried to open the door without moving the chair he found it impossible. He tucked his arm round Drusilla’s waist and said: ‘Don’t look for hidden doors and passages, that’s going too far.’ He went across to the dying fire and picked up the whisky. ‘What you want is a night-cap,’ he declared, ‘and you’ll sleep like a top.’
    Drusilla did not appear to agree with him.
     
    A sound echoed in his ears, not near, not far away. He lay between sleeping and waking, just conscious of tension, listening for a repetition. There were vague, muffled noises, which seemed a long way off and were not loud enough to have disturbed him. Then, almost outside the window, the deep baying of a hound startled him and made him open his eyes wide.
    Red light was reflected on the ceiling. Red, then yellow, darting swiftly here and there. There were shadows, too, one central one, the shadow of a huge bear. The flickering light made the thing look alive, the tongue seemed to poke out and lick at the grinning chops.
    Fire!
    Palfrey put his hand on Drusilla’s shoulder, squeezing gently. She stirred. ‘Wake up, ‘Silla,’ he called. ‘There’s a fire.’
    Palfrey pulled a chair to the window, so that he could see beyond the recess, and saw the tongues of flame licking out and then receding. Dark smoke billowed up from the same direction.
    He stood on tip-toe, staring down. Between him and the flames he could see the silhouette of a bear; below that was the fire, coming from a bowl which jutted out from the wall. Further away there was another, and he felt a deep sense of relief. He turned, to see Drusilla pulling the chair away from the door.
    ‘False alarm,’ he said, ‘it’s coming from flares – oil flares on the walls.’
    ‘What on earth for?’ asked Drusilla.
    ‘That’s what we have to find out,’ said Palfrey. He looked blue with cold. ‘What’s the time?’
    ‘A quarter past six.’
    In the hall one chandelier was burning.
    Palfrey hurried to the door. It was ajar, and, when he pulled it, swung heavily. The light from the flares came into the room; the whole porch was burnished red. A cold wind struck at him, as he stepped forward and went down the steps.
    The scene was fantastic: half a dozen horsemen, several