As he listened, they
drew nearer.
Desmond tarried no longer. He preferred the unknown perils which
that silent house portended to the real danger advancing from the
garden. He softly pushed the door open and slipped into the
house.
CHAPTER XXVII. THE RED LACQUER ROOM
The side-door led into a little white passage with a green baize
door at the end. A staircase, which from its white-washed treads,
Desmond judged to be the back stairs, gave on the passage.
Calculating that the men in the garden would be certain to use
the main staircase, Desmond took the back stairs which, on the
first lauding, brought him face to face with a green baize door,
similar in every respect to that on the floor below.
He pushed this door open and listened. Hearing nothing he passed
on through it. He found himself in a broad corridor on to which
gave the main staircase from below and its continuation to the
upper floors. Three rooms opened on to this corridor, a large
drawing-room, a small study and what was obviously the doctor's
consulting room, from the operating table and the array of
instruments set out in glass cases. The rooms were empty and
Desmond was about to return to the back stairs and proceed to the
next floor when his attention was caught by a series of framed
photographs with which the walls of the corridor were lined.
Pages:
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341