THE JOSS: A REVERSION, OR THE STRANGE FORTUNE OF

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 57

THE JOSS: A REVERSION, OR THE STRANGE FORTUNE OF

POLLIE BLYTH. THE STORY OF A CHINESE "GOD."

By BICHARD MARSH,

Author of "The Goddess," "In Full Cry,"

"The Beetle A Mystery," "The Cunie and the Criminal, ' &c, &c.

[Copyright.]

BOOK II.— THE HOUSE IN CAMFORD

STREEf. (THE FACTS OF THE CASE ACCORD-

ING TO EMILY PURVIS.)

CHAPTER Xl.— OinE WAY IX.

HEARD her fumbling with her pocket. " I can't find the thing ; I had it. just now ; I can't have dropped it." '•Oh, Pollie! — quick! — they'ie at the wall! " There was a shaip scraping

noise from behind ; a muffled wliispering. It sounded as if someone were endeavouring to negotiate the obstacle we hud just surmounted. Still Pollie was continuing her researches. "Where can I have put the thing?" "Cant you find it? Oh. Pollie!" Son.cone was on the wall ; had dropped softly to the ground. The .sound of his alighting feet was distinctly audible. There was a paiihe ; as if for someone to follow. It was the pause which saved us. As I waited, with my heart actually banging against my ribs, my legs giving way at the knees, expecting every second that someone would come darting at us through the daiknes«, ju«t in time to save me from toppling in a heap on to the ground Polhe found the key.

"I've got it! What did uncle say I was to do with it? Push it against the spot of light, and then? I've got it into the keyhole ! Can't yon remember what uncle said I was to do with it then? It turns round and round.'* " Pollie ! They're coming ! " They were. There was the sound of advancing footsteps. Approaching forms loomed dimly through the darkness. That same instant Pollie caught the trick of it ; the door opened. " Inside ! " she gasped. I was inside ; moving faster than I had ever done in my life before. And Pollie was after me. The dcor shut behind us, seemingly of its own accord, with a kind of groan. " That was a near thing ! '" It could hardly have been nearer. Whoever was upon our heels had effected an almost simultaneous entrance with ourselvts. "He made a grab at my skirt ; I felt his hand • " But the door had closed so quickly that whoever was there had had no time to make an attempt to keep it open. It was pitch dark within, darker almost than it had been without. Pollie pressed close to my side The fingers of one of her hands interlaced themselves with mine; she gripped me tighter than s-ke perhaps thought. Her lips were near my ear ; she spoke as if she were short of breMh. * " There's a good spring upon that door ; it moved a bit too fast for them ; it shuts like a rat-trap Listen ! " There was no need to bid me to do that ; already my rense of hearing was on the strain. Someone, apparently, was trying the door, to see if it were really shut, or if it could not be induced to open again. The leault was disappointment. Tlicie *rere voices in ■\\h>r>j>sred consultation. "Theri/s moie than one; I wondered if there \i\i-: moie tlitm one."' " "J lipro are three, ' 1 <= a i . l

Presently romeonc stiiick the dooi lightly. w -tb, tlio 'palm ox the hand, or vricli the

fist. Then, more forcibly, a rain of blows. Unless I was mistaken the assault come from more than one pair of hands ; it was like an attack made in the impotence of childish passion. 'Ihe voices were raised, as if they called to us They were like none which either of us had ever heard before ; there was a curious squeakiness shout them, a?< if their natural tone was a falsetto. What they said was gibberi&h to us; it was uttered in an unknown tongue.

The voices ceased After an interval, during- which one suspected their owners had withdrawn a step or two to consider the situation, one was rai&ed alone. It lml in it a threatening quality, as if it warned us of the pains and penalties we were incuriing The fact tint we were being addressed in a language which was to us completely strange seemed at that moment to have about it something dreadful. Audibly we paid no heed ; only I felt Pollie's giip growing tighter and tighter. I wondered if she knew that she would crush my finger" if she did not take care

The single' speaker ceased to hurl at us his imprecations ; I felt sure it was bad language he was using. All was still.

"What are they doing?"

So close were Pollie's lips that her whispered words tickled my ear. We had not long to wait before the answer came in the shape of a smashing blow directed against the door.

" They're trying to break it down ; they'll soon wake up the neighbourhood if they make that noise. Let's get farther into the house. Why! whatever** that?"

She had turned. In doing so she had pulled me half round with her. Her words caused me to glance about in the darkness, searching for some new terror. Nor was I long in learning what had caused her exclamation. There, glaring at us through the inky blackness in flaming letters, a foot in length, were the words, '' Too Late ' '' Beneath them was some hideous creature's head.

For a second or two, in the first shock of my surprise. I imagined it to be the head of some actual man — or, rather, monster. As it gleamed there, with its wide-open jaws, huge teeth, and flashing eyes, it was like the vivid realisation of some dreadful nightmare. It was as if something of horror, which had haunted u,s in sleep, had suddenly taken on itself tangible shape and form. So irresistible was this impression, so unexpected was the shock of discoveimg it, that I 'believe if Pollie had not caught hold of me with both her hands, and held me up, I should have fallen to the floor. As it was I reeled and staggered, so that I daresay it needed all her strength to keep me perpendicular. It was her voice addressing me in earnest, half angry expostulation which reassured me — at least in part.

" You goose ! Don't you see that it's a picture drawn with phosphorus, or luminous paint, or something, on the wall? It won't bite you; you're not afraid of a pictuie, child."

It was a picture ; and, when you came to look into it, not a particularly well-drawn one either, though I could not understand how we had. missed seeing it so &ocn as we had entered ; unless the explanation was that it had only just been put there. And. if that was the case, by whom, and how ? A brief inspection was enough to show that the thing was more like one of those masks which boys wear on Guy Fawkes' day than anything else. It was jusr, as ridiculous, ao'd just as much like anything in heaven or earth.

"Let's get out of this : let's go mto the house ; why do you stop in tin,-, horrid place? Where's the door?"

"That's the question — where is it? Uncle Benjamin's ideas of the proper way of getting in and out of a house are a little too ingenious for me ; we seem to be in a sort of entry with nothing but walls all round v«. Haven't you a match? Didn't yoa take a box out with you? For goodness' s-ake don't say you've lost it " I had not lost it, fortunately for us. I gave it to her. She struck a light. As she did so, the face and the writing on tlis wall grew dimmer. They were only visible when the position in which she srocd before tlie flume cast, them into shadow.

"Weil, this is a pretty state of tit n<rs>. upon lhy word ! There clucmi t seem to Lc a door!"

There did rot. The flickering match served to show that we were in what looked uncommonly like an ingenious tian. We were in what seemed to bs a sort of vault. or cell, which was just large enough to enable us to turn about with a tr.kiable amount of freedom, and that Mas all. Semblance of a door there was none ; not even of that by which we had entered. So far as could be judged by that impeitect light. on all four sides were duty, discoloured, bare walls; in not one of which was there a crack or crevice which suggested a means of going out or in.

As Pollie had said, il was indeed a pretty state of things. It seemed that mc were prisoners ; and in a prison from w Inch there was no way out. Our situation reminded me of teinblo sloiie? which. I had read about the Spanish Inquisition ; of the .sufferings o\ men and women, „' d i\\.i. girls, who had weeks and moi.ih^ and years in hidden dungeons, out of which they had never come alive again.

Just as I had begun to fully realise the fact that there did not seem to be a door. Pollie's match went out. That same moment there came a fresh crash from without. And, directly after, another sound ; or, rather, sounds. Something was taking place outside which, to us, .shut in there, sounded uncommonly like a scrimmage ; or the beginning of one, at any rate. Someone else, apparently, had climbed over the wall — a weighty someone, for we heard him descend with a ponderous flop. Without a doubt the first comers had heard him, too ; with misgivings. Something fell, with a clatter ; perhaps the tool with which they had been assailing the door. There was a scurrying of feet , as of pet - sons eager to seek safety in flight ; an exclamation or two, it seemed to us in English ; then a thud, as if some soft and heavy body had come in sudden contact with the ground ; a momentary silence ; then what was unmistakably an official voice — a beauliful and a blessed voice it mounded to me just then.

"All light, my lads! A little tricky, aren't you? I daresay you think you did that very neat. You wnit a bit Next time it'll be my turn ; then perhaps I'll show you a dodge or two." "Pollie," I exclaimed, "it's that nice Dohceman.'

" Hush ! What if it is?'

What if it was? Everything, to me. It meant the flight of mystery, and an opportunity to breathe again. If I could have had my way I .would have rushed out into that back yard and hugged him. But Polhc wa* so cold aai — when she liked, and her precious Tom wasn't concerned — so self-contained. She froze me. I could hear his dear big feet stamping across the j;>rd. He thumped against the dor/r, and I perhaps withm an inch of hirp. and not allowed to say a word! "InMCie there — is there anyone in there?" There was ; fiere was I. I longed to tell him so ; only Pollie's grasp closed so tightly on my arm — T knew it w ould be black and bhie in the moraine; — -h.it I did not daie. "Isn't- there a beli or a. knockei ? This seems to be a queer sc~'t of a house. There's something fishy about the place, or I'm mistaken." I could have assured h.m tint he wa,s not mistaken ; and Avnu'd, if it had not been for Pollie I could piclvue Inn in my mind's eye flashing tli2 rays of his bull'seye lan'ern in search of something by means of which he could acquaint the inhabit ints within of his p;e c eace there without — ;n his innocence ! A^. if we chd not know that he was there. For somD minutes — ,fc seemed houis to me — lie piowlcd ".bout, patiently looking for wlrit he could not find. Then, giving up the quest in despair, he strode ucrof-s the yard, climbed heavily over the wall, and stamped along the passage; we could heai lu^, foot'tens even in the street beywd Then I ventured to 100 my t<7,ij;uc. "Pollie, why wouldn't uu le, lue *p?«k to him? Why wouldn't you let ui^ tell him we were here?' 1

" And a nice fuss there'd have been ' Xo, thanks, ray dear Before I call in the assistance of the police I should like to turn the matter over in my mind. Tr begins to stiike me that wLeie iov Uncle Benjamin had reasons for concealment. T may have reasons, too ; at any rate until I know just what there is to conceal "In the meanwhile, how are we tn get out. of here? We're trapped." "It's the ingenuity with which Uncle Ben. or somebody, has guarded th r ' approach to his, or, rather, my liei'ii^s wihch makes it clear to me (hnr tL"ic miy be something about the place no ww 1 ' K'h d may be ns well not to be m too great a huriy to turn the searchlight of a po'iteman's eye. As to getting out of Ju* — • we'll see."

She struck another match ami mw. Either we had been the vietin.s rf an ocular delusion, or something i unnus Ind taken place since she liad struck +he fiist, for where, just now, there v, ,s a blank wall, in which was no sign of any opening, a door stood wide open. I could not credit the evidence of my own eye>\ "I declare,' I cried, "it wa'ti r theie jusrfc row."

"It wps not visible, at onv rate T tell you whit, my deir ; we luayn't bo tlit- only occupants of this establishment. that's about the truth of it It's pos-siM^ that there's someone behind the iceae.s who" = pulling the strings."

I did not like the ide..-s which her wo: 'I? conjured up at all " But — wtio can it be?''

That's for us to discover "

There was a grimness about her tone which suggested what was to me a new :da of Pollie's character. My impulse iub to geb away from the place as fast ."- ever I could, and never leturn to it again She spoke as if she v, ere not oiily les-ohed to remain, and defied anyone to hun her on* who could, but .s n she had a positive appetite for anv — to put it m'ldlv — dis; 1 rree able experiences which her remaining iiiitjlit involve. The first horror «he encounteied then and there ; if she did not mind it i only wish, tint I could .say the -ame oi mvselt.

" You kft the candle m the hall ; let'--' go and letch it

A<> , c oon as v. c set foot outfr-de that entry there was a pandemonium of 'oir.'ct-; .is of a legion rushing, scrambling. >-queakinsr. It was r.tt'- — myriad*-. The whole house swarmed wiMi them : they were ever' - \ihoie. They v. ore about our feet": I fi'lt them rrslr.n^ i>v c r my boots, v. hirlh.i: against ray skit 1 -. One r.ii. is bad enoiv'i ii the light ; but :n the dark, that mul - tu de ! I hrcl to sercmi. To stumble blincfcld among those wuthmg cieatuies and keep still was altogether too much foi my capacity.

Pollie ' — light a match ' — they ie ail owr me! Pollie! '

She struck a match I do not knov tli.it it was any bsUer now that we could pee them. The light only seemed to make thim moie excited. In 'fact their squeakiv<j increased much that, thinking that it .inhered thpin, I hod half a mint i.) t«li Pollie u> put il out .-.gain. Jut she never gave ms a eh inee. Taking me by the aim she divided me aloui* the passage, so ih a v. c were .it the front door before I knev it. When we went out we had left v candle on the floor in the passage, so that it might be ready for us when we came back. Pollie stooped to pick it up. But, instead oi doing ho at once, she rummer! in the si me position fdr a second or two, as if she were staring at something. Then she broke into a laugh. "Well, that beats anj thing. Ihat was a new candle when we went out ; look at it now."

I looked ; the candle had vanished. In its place what seemed to be a greasy piece of twine trailed over the side of the candlestick. The candle itself had been consumed by the rats ; they had presented us with an object lesson, by way of showing us what they could do if they had a chance. I shuddered. I had heard of their fondness for fat. lam not thin. I thought of them picking the plumpness off my bones as I lay sleeping.

" Let's go out of this awful hour>e ; do. Pollie, do! The rats will eat us if we stay in it."

" Let 'em try. They'll find us tougher morsels than you think. If a rat once has a taste of me he won't want another, I promise you that, dear." It was a frightful thing to say. It made my blood run cold to hear her. I felt absolutely convinced that if rats once started 'nibbling at me they would never rest content till they had had all of me that they could eat. I was sure that there was not 'enough that was tough about me. In that tour of trial I almost wished that there tad been.