The Grove of Doom

CHAPTER VI. SPECTERS OF THE NIGHT

IT was some time after midnight when Mildred Chittenden awoke from a troubled sleep. The house was strangely calm and still. Its silence was disturbing. The girl found herself wondering what had caused this sudden awakening.

During the past few nights, Mildred had been afflicted with terrifying dreams; vague nightmares that left only worried memory after the awakening. Tonight, in this quiet room, she sought to recall those dreams, but her mind was chaotic.

Listening, Mildred conjured up fanciful thoughts of unexplainable noises. These thoughts became dominating. The room was an oppressive place that seemed to hold her prisoner. The moonlight, floating in through the open window, offered solace. In a frantic effort to escape the overpowering fantasies that swept her brain, Mildred decided to go outdoors, where realities would surely overcome imagination.

Donning a dressing gown and slippers, the girl softly stole from her room and crept through the darkness of the upstairs hall. She detected a sound not far away. It seemed to come from Harvey’s room. Going close to the door, Mildred could hear the slight noise of slow, padded footfalls.

Harvey was evidently awake; if so, he would be in a disagreeable humor. To disturb him would be a mistake. Thus reasoning, Mildred turned to the stairs and descended to the first floor. Holding her fright in abeyance, she opened the front door and reached the porch.

Here, the moonlit lawn was alluring. Softly, so that she could not possibly be heard by anyone in the house, Mildred went down the steps and straight toward the placid Sound, which formed a huge pool of unrippled water. There was an obscure bench among the rocks — a spot from which Mildred had frequently looked out upon the Sound — and it was there that the girl went now.

Here, with her dark gown wrapped closely about her, Mildred reclined so motionless that no one would have detected her presence even at close range. The sight of the water made the girl restful. She fell into a drowse; then suddenly, awakened to view her surroundings in surprise.

Mildred’s head was resting upon the arm of the bench. She peered through the slats at the back, looking toward the lawn and the house beyond. All was as quiet as before. The girl’s eyes wandered; they turned directly toward the grove of beeches, a blackish mass that seemed to infringe upon the edge of lawn like some grim monster of darkness.

Spectral fantasies returned. The girl’s thoughts turned to a vivid scene in a tragedy that she had witnessed long before — in which the witches of Macbeth had raised an apparition to speak to the Scottish chief:

“—Until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come—”

That grove might well be Birnam wood. Mildred half expected to see the silent mass of trees creep forward in the moonlight.

With hypnotic stare she watched the blackened edge that marked the spot where the boughs cut off the moonlight. There was a clear-cut division between the ground beneath the trees and the end of the moonlit lawn. That stretch of blackness would be the first to move!

For a few minutes the girl’s fancies continued; then they waned. Mildred seemed to see clearly again; the blackness at the side of the grove appeared quite normal, and Mildred watched in idle curiosity. A moment later, the girl experienced a startling chill. The shadow of the trees was moving at one spot — a projecting patch of blackness was creeping out upon the lawn!

GRIPPING the back of the bench, Mildred watched in stark terror. Like a living thing, the extending mass moved onward; it detached itself from the blackness of the woods, and became the shadow of a human form!

It was then that Mildred saw the being in black. So suddenly did she realize his presence that she fancied that he had grown instantaneously from the ground. Within the range of the moonlight stood a tall, unearthly figure — a weird personage garbed in jet-black cloak and topped with broad-brimmed hat.

Mildred Chittenden did not recognize The Shadow; unacquainted with the ways of the underworld, she had never learned of the terror which that solitary being could provoke. But in Mildred’s mind lay a real horror of that grove beyond the lawn; a creepy fear that recognized a menace in its midst. Here, before her staring eyes, the girl had seen a living form develop from the spell of darkness!

To Mildred, The Shadow was a specter of the night — a wanderer from unearthly domains. That form in black, more sinister than any creature of her fevered dreams, stood as proof of danger that lay within the depths of the grove.

What was its purpose here?

Mildred watched the phantom shape as it moved slowly across the lawn. It was going toward the house.

It was lost beside the blackish walls of the building. Was it a menace to those who slept within the mansion?

Mildred trembled. A warning cry might suffice to save the others, but should it pass unheard, she would be at the mercy of that frightful phantom.

Half in relief, half in fright, the girl suppressed a sigh as she saw the tall black shape once more. The Shadow had made a circuit of the building. Silently, he was emerging from the darkness on the side toward the cove.

Now his form was closer; it passed across the lawn and neared the edge of the grove. Mildred fancied that she heard a low, shuddering sound — an uncanny laugh that made her tremble again.

Peering through the moonlight, the girl watched the figure as it moved away from the shore, almost a portion of the blackness by the edge of the grove. Had she not seen the form before, she could not have seen it now. As it was, her eyes barely discerned The Shadow’s progress as the black-clad visitant neared the fence that marked the limit of Lower Beechview.

Once again, the form of The Shadow was clear in the moonlight as it passed through the little gate. Then it was lost to the girl’s vision. The Shadow had gone as mysteriously as he had arrived.

Mildred Chittenden sighed at the conclusion of the ordeal. She was too weak to leave this spot of security; at the same time, she was surprised at her own bravery. After the first fright, that black-clad shape had not seemed so ominous. Its departure left the girl wondering. To her amazement, she was doubting that The Shadow was a menace.

Fantastic, yet so real that its presence could not be forgotten, the being in black had come and gone with no threatening gesture. To a certain extent, that somber form was more a guardian than foe. Mildred wondered if she had seen a ghost; if so, what its purpose could have been. Was some wandering spirit haunting this old estate?

LONG minutes went by, while Mildred’s thoughts remained at a standstill. The girl sensed the passing of time; she knew, instinctively, that the spectral shape would not return tonight. Nevertheless, she waited here, calmly resting, her mind perturbed at times, at other intervals less fearful.

At last, Mildred regained power of action. She started to rise from the bench; then stood transfixed at the sight of another living form. Where The Shadow’s shape had been mysterious and supernatural, this new specter was hideous and earthly. With tightened lips, Mildred shrank back upon the bench, knowing that she now faced danger.

A creeping man was coming from the grove. His body bent almost double, he appeared more as a crawling creature than a man. He was moving stealthily, yet lacked the gliding motion that had characterized the approach of The Shadow.

As the creeping man came into the moonlight, his face was visible above his close-fitting dusky garments.

He had come from the grove at a spot quite close to the shore. Now, his head turned in each direction, and Mildred, slipping down upon the bench, could see his visage plainly.

The girl was terror-stricken at the sight of yellow, pockmarked features, and evil, glinting eyes that stared almost directly toward her. She recognized that this creature was a Chinaman, his fiendish bearing and huddled arms indicated that he carried a weapon. Here was a human enemy, Mildred sensed.

Had the yellow man spied her, she would have counted herself lost. But the Chinaman’s gaze did not light upon the girl.

This creature that had materialized from the trees seemed intent upon reaching the shelter of the house.

Satisfied that no one was watching, he scurried across the lawn, and huddled beside the porch. From that spot, Mildred fancied that she heard a thin, faint whistle — like a shrill, though guarded, hiss.

The girl listened. A second sound came from somewhere. The Chinaman appeared upon the steps. He was entering the house!

Now, despite her qualms, Mildred felt the necessity of action. The first spectral visitor had inspired her with awe; the present one filled her with alarm.

Was the man bent on murder? Mildred could well believe it. She had feared for Walter Pearson when she had seen him go into the grove. Something must have happened to the lawyer. Now a physical menace had come from the grove; it threatened all who slept in Lower Beechview.

Rising swiftly, Mildred hurried directly toward the house. She was ready to encounter the yellow-faced creature, confident that she would be able to give an alarm. Nevertheless, she restrained her steps as she neared the porch. From then on, the girl advanced cautiously.

A living-room window was open. Mildred stole toward it, noiselessly. She could hear sounds from within. She listened.

Someone was speaking a low, singsong voice — scarcely more than a piping whisper. There were breaks in the talk, as though the speaker were receiving replies from someone who spoke more guardedly.

“Lei Chang do” — Mildred could hear only that statement; then mumbled words, and finally a strangely accented name — “Koon Woon — Koon Woon — Koon Woon—”

At last the lisping talk concluded. Mildred heard someone moving in the darkened living room. She waited beside the window; then shrank behind a protecting chair as she saw, but did not hear, the front door open.

THE Chinaman was leaving the house. As silently as he had come, the yellow-faced creature, more insidious at this close view, was hurrying back to the grove of trees. Watching through the rails of the porch, Mildred saw him scurry to the beeches; then his stooped form was swallowed by the darkness.

Mildred was sure that more than conjecture made her realize that this wicked-looking monstrosity made his home among the beeches. But she could not divine why he had come into the house. Harvey, like herself, had been awake. Could he have been watching from the window to see this fearful creature?

If so, how had he avoided an encounter? Horrified, Mildred realized the answer. She understood now why Harvey could have been staying awake so many nights. A rendezvous with this creature from the beeches! That could well be the answer!

Mildred was more frightened now than she had been before. She would prefer to see her husband in grave danger than to imagine him in touch with such an outlandish monster. But the thought awoke terrifying memories within the recesses of her mind.

Harvey had often spoken briefly of his trips to China and the Orient — of his acquaintances there — of the strange customs in the East. In some ways, Harvey had imbibed an Oriental philosophy for he had often spoken with unfeigned admiration of the Chinese and their methods.

Lei Chang!

Somehow Mildred sensed that such was the creature’s name. Who then was Koon Woon? Another man from China?

Mildred could not answer these perplexing questions. She realized dully that now she was more anxious to be within the house than without. Her entire view had changed.

Carefully, the girl entered the front door and ascended the stairs without making a sound. She stopped outside of Harvey’s room. She heard a few slight noises, but they were no proof that Harvey was still awake. He might have been tossing in his sleep.

Craig Ware’s room was nearby. Before the door, Mildred could hear the stentorian breathing of the middle aged showman. Then she thought of Jessup. His room was in a wing at the back of the house.

Mildred decided that she would not investigate there.

Instead, she went into her own room and lay quietly in bed, seeking sleep. Each doze was interrupted.

Once Mildred fancied that she heard someone moving in the hall; again, she imagined that whistled hissing; finally she was sure that she heard sounds on the other side of the house.

Bravely the girl calmed these recurring fears and finally dropped off to sleep. Vague dreams perturbed her mind and frequently brought her to a waking point. In those dreams, she heard unexplainable noises, and caught the fancied gleam of a wicked, yellow face. But one impression triumphed over all these nightmares; that was the form of a tall being clad in black.

Through her troubled sleep, Mildred could see this one apparition battling off the weird figures that surrounded her. The recollection of The Shadow predominated over all others. When morning dawned, the memory of that first phantom greeted Mildred Chittenden. From the confused recollections of the hectic night, she recalled the black-clad shape that had come from the mysterious grove.

The thought of the tall, gliding form remained a warning in her mind. The recollection of The Shadow made Mildred feel that only beings of a superhuman mold could safely trespass upon the ground beneath the beeches where the yellow-faced menace dwelt.