United States or Grenada ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
I see that you have been into Idlemay House. I wonder whether you would lend me the keys? I will return them to the office, with pleasure, but I should very much like to go in myself for a few minutes." Mr. Waddington stared at his late employee, thoroughly puzzled. "If you aren't a caution!" he exclaimed. "What the mischief do you want to go in there for?" Burton smiled.
"Certainly," Burton replied, removing his eyes unwillingly from the passing barrow. "I really don't think you had better take it, Mr. Lynn. You see, it is not generally known, but there is no doubt that Lord Idlemay had typhoid fever there." "Typhoid!" Mr. Lynn exclaimed, incredulously. His companion nodded. "Two of the servants were down with it as well," he continued.
Waddington's face was blank. "You have heard the translation of those sheets?" "I have," Burton answered hastily. "I will tell you all about it directly as soon as you have brought me the tree." Mr. Waddington had turned a little pale. "I gave it to a child in the street, on my way home from Idlemay House," he declared.
"Not a soul would believe it," the auctioneer assented. "No one will ever believe it. The person who declared that there was nothing new under the sun evidently knew nothing about these beans!" Burton leaned across the table. "Mr. Waddington," he continued, "I was around at Idlemay House this morning. I went to see what had become of the flower-pot. I found the little room swept bare.
"There must be occupations," he murmured, "where instinctive truthfulness would be an advantage." "I can't think of one," Mr. Waddington answered, gloomily. "Besides, I am too old for anything absolutely new." "How on earth did you succeed in letting Idlemay House?" Burton asked suddenly. "Most remarkable incident," his host declared. "Reminds me of my last two sales of antique furniture.
No one would even come to see you at Idlemay House, much less stay with you the place has such a bad reputation." "Then will you be good enough to just explain to me why you were cracking it up like blazes only a few minutes ago?" Mr. Lynn demanded, indignantly. "I nearly took the darned place!" Mr. Burton shook his head penitently. "I am afraid that I cannot explain, sir," he confessed.
"What are those sheets of paper you have on the table?" he asked quickly. "They are the sheets of paper left with the little flower-pot in the room of Idlemay House," Mr. Waddington answered. "I was just looking them through and wondering what language it was they were written in. It is curious, too, that our friend should have only translated the last few lines."
This house doesn't need any talking about doesn't need a word said about it. Her Ladyship's last words to us were Lady Idlemay, you know, the owner of the house 'Mr. Waddington and Mr. Burton, she said she was speaking to us both, for the governor always introduces me to clients as being the one who does most of the letting, 'Mr. Waddington and Mr.
"We implored Lady Idlemay, when she offered us the letting of the house, to have the drains put in thorough order, but when we got the estimate out for her she absolutely declined. To tell you the truth, the best agents had all refused, under the circumstances, to have the house upon their books at all. That is why we got the letting of it." Mr. Lynn removed the cigar from his mouth for a moment.
Word Of The Day