The Boarded-Up House (15 page)

“Why, look at the candles!” she cried. “There are only about three left, and they won't last more than a minute or two!” Even as she spoke, two of them flickered out. The remaining one struggled for another half-minute, and flared up in one last, desperate effort. The next instant, the room was in total darkness. So unexpected was the change, that they all sat very still. The sudden pall of darkness in this strange house of mystery was just a tiny bit awesome.

“Well! This
is
a predicament!” exclaimed Fairfax Collingwood who was first to recover from the surprise. “Fortunately I have a box of matches!”

Then, with one accord they began to steer their way around the furniture

“Oh, don't worry!” added the practical Cynthia. “There's an extra candle that I left on the mantel. It will do nicely to light us out.” Groping to the chimney-place with the aid of his matches, Mr. Collingwood found the candle and lit it. Then, with one accord, they all rose and began to steer their way around the furniture toward the hall, Goliath following. In the hall, Mr. Collingwood looked at his watch, exclaiming:

“It is six-thirty! Who would believe it!” The two girls gave a simultaneous gasp of dismay.

“Dinner!—It was ready half an hour ago! What
will
they think?” cried Joyce.

“Never mind
what
they think, just for tonight!” responded Mrs. Collingwood, gaily. “You can tell them when you're explaining all this, that what you've done for us two people is beyond the power of words to express. They'll forgive you!” She bent down and kissed them both with a caress that thrilled them to their finger-tips. Then they all passed out through the great front door to the wide old veranda. Mr. Collingwood, taking the key from his mother, locked the little door in the boarding, after them. And in the warm, waning May afternoon, they filed down the steps. At the gate, Mr. Collingwood turned to the girls:

“I am taking my mother back to New York for a few days. She must rest, and we have much to talk over. I scarcely need tell you that I am
not
returning to Australia!—We shall come back here very soon, open up this old home, put it in order, and probably spend the rest of our lives between here and the South.

“Dear girls, I hardly need say to you that in all the world we shall consider that we have no closer or more devoted friends than yourselves I This house will always be open to you. You must look upon it as a second home. You have given back to us the most priceless blessing,—the one thing we neither hoped nor expected to enjoy again in this world,—
each other!”
He could not go on. He was very much moved. And as for the two girls, they were utterly speechless under the pressure of feeling.

They remained standing at the gate, watching the two go down the street in the sunset, and waved to them wildly as they turned to look back, just before rounding the comer. And at last the intervening trees shut them from sight.

When they were gone, Cynthia and Joyce turned and looked long and incredulously into each other's eyes. They
might
have made, on this occasion, a number of high-flown and appropriate remarks, the tenor of which would be easy to imagine. Certainly the time for it was ripe, and beyond a doubt they
felt
them! But, as a matter of fact, they indulged in nothing of the sort. Instead, Joyce suddenly broke into a laugh.

“We'll never have to go in there by the cellar window again!” she remarked.

“Sure enough!” agreed Cynthia. “What a relief that'll be!”

And so ended the adventure of the Boarded-up House!

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