Mandie Collection, The: 4 (16 page)
Read Mandie Collection, The: 4 Online
Authors: Lois Gladys Leppard
Instinctively knowing that he was saying good-bye, the whole group called out, “Good-bye, and thanks.”
When they had all finished their tea, Mr. Swaggingham asked, “Mrs. Taft, do you wish me to stay tonight now that the mystery has been solved?”
“What do you think, Senator?” Mrs. Taft asked her friend.
“Yes, I think it would be a good idea,” Senator Morton advised. “There could be another accomplice that the police don’t know about.”
They all rose from the table to go upstairs.
“We’d feel safer with Mr. Swaggingham in the parlor, Grandmother,” Mandie said.
“That’s right,” Celia added.
Mandie turned to her Cherokee friend. “Unless Uncle Ned could sleep on the sofa in our parlor tonight.”
The old Indian shook his head. “Other business tonight, Papoose,” he said.
“Oh, shucks, Uncle Ned. I was hoping you’d be around for a while,” Mandie said, looking up at the old man.
“Back tomorrow,” the Indian promised.
“But we’re leaving early in the morning, aren’t we, Grandmother?” Mandie asked.
“Yes, dear, right after breakfast,” Mrs. Taft replied.
“Back before breakfast,” he promised her. “Ned be ready to go Swissyland with Papoose.”
Mandie’s blue eyes grew big. “You are going to Switzerland with us?” she exclaimed. “Oh, Uncle Ned, I’m so happy.”
Jonathan spoke up, “Yes, we’re glad you’re coming along with us, sir.”
“House in Swissyland have mystery,” Uncle Ned said with a laugh. “Ned go see Papoose not get into trouble.”
Mandie stopped in surprise. “The house in Switzerland has a mystery about it?” she asked. “Oh, that’s just great!”
“We see, Papoose,” the old Indian said. “Sun come up, Ned come.”
That night as Mandie and Celia lay in bed, they were so excited about the events of that day and about the new mystery in Switzerland that they could hardly get to sleep.
Finally, Mandie closed her eyes.
Oh, I can’t wait to get to Switzerland!
she thought.
What kind of a mystery could there be about the house?
WITH SPECIAL
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
To Signor Nuzzo Vittorio, Office of the Ambassador of Italy, Washington, D.C., for furnishing research material on his country and information on the history of Rome.
Grazie!
In memory of
my dear friend
and world-renowned opera star
Enricka Zaranova
of New York
whose last name I have borrowed
for this book.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 Midnight in Switzerland
Chapter 5 Looking for an Entrance
Chapter 6 What Are the Strangers Up To?
Chapter 8 The Villagers’ Tales
Chapter 9 Trouble in the Night
Chapter 12 The Tales Explained
“He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth;
but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.”
(Proverbs 14:21)
CHAPTER ONE
MIDNIGHT IN SWITZERLAND
“Amanda! Wake up! We’re at the Thalers’,” Mrs. Taft said, as she gently shook her granddaughter’s shoulder.
Mandie, comfortably resting in the corner of the carriage seat, blinked her blue eyes and straightened up. She looked out the window into the darkness, but could only see faint lights on an enormous doorway. Snowball, her white kitten, uncurled in her lap, then stretched and yawned.
“Oh, we’re in Switzerland!” Mandie said excitedly to her friend, Celia Hamilton.
“Of course we’re in Switzerland. Where did you think we were?” answered Celia, sitting next to her.
“I—I must have been dreaming,” Mandie explained. “I was back home in Franklin, North Carolina, and my mother was rocking my baby brother to sleep.”
“I hope you don’t get homesick,” fourteen-year-old Jonathan Guyer teased, with a mischievous smile brightening his face.
Before Mandie could reply, her grandmother stood up and said to the young people, “It’s time to get your things.”
Senator Morton, their traveling companion and friend of Mrs. Taft, stepped down from the carriage and reached up to assist Mandie’s grandmother.
Everyone scrambled for their handbags and followed.
Mandie, firmly holding on to her white kitten, gasped when she finally noticed the huge building they were about to enter. It seemed to go completely out of sight on each side. Even well-traveled Jonathan was surprised—it was absolutely monstrous.
“This doesn’t even look like a house!” Mandie said.
“Not like one I’ve ever seen,” Celia added.
“It is rather large, isn’t it?” Jonathan agreed. “I can’t wait to look around tomorrow morning, when we can really see how big it is.”
Mandie stepped ahead to catch up with her grandmother. Tugging on her sleeve to get her attention, Mandie asked, “Grandmother, how many people live here?”
“It’s only the Thaler family and their servants, as far as I know, dear,” Mrs. Taft told her. “I’ve known the Thalers for years and have visited with them in other houses they own in Europe, but I understand they bought this one only recently.”
Uniformed servants seemed to be hovering everywhere in the dim light from the gas sconces by the doorway. They were taking the bags and directing everyone inside.
The three young people followed the adults into an enormous stone-walled hallway lit by more gaslights. An older woman in a black uniform approached them. She spoke directly to Mrs. Taft. “Madam, welcome, I am Hedgewick, the housekeeper,” she said smiling, her gray-haired head bobbing beneath its white cap. “Madam Thaler regrets that the family was suddenly called away to Germany because of the illness of her mother. She offers you her home for as long as you wish.”
“Oh, dear,” Mrs. Taft said. “I hope her illness is not serious.”
“We do not know yet, madam,” the housekeeper replied, turning to the servants who were bringing in the luggage. “You will take the madam’s things to the green suite and the gentleman’s to the blue suite. The young people will stay in the east wing.” The uniformed men moved on with the bags, and Mrs. Hedgewick turned back to Mrs. Taft. “Now, if you will be so good as to follow me, I will show all of you to your rooms. This way, please.”
The woman led the way up a wide, curving staircase at the end of the front hall. The walls along the steps were covered with ancient
portraits and other paintings interspersed with metal armor, swords, and antique guns. There were gaslights everywhere.
Mandie whispered to her friends as they brought up the rear, “This place looks like an armed fortress.” Snowball, content in his mistress’s arms, settled back to sleep.
“It probably is—used to be, I should say,” Jonathan told her. “These walls must be hundreds of years old.”
“Hundreds?” Celia stopped in surprise.
“Don’t forget, Europe is old,” Mandie reminded her. “Even Uncle Ned will be impressed with this place.”
“When did Uncle Ned say he would get here?” Celia asked, as they continued up the stairway.
“Probably tomorrow,” Mandie said. “He seems to have friends everywhere. He has become aquainted with a lot of important people who move around the world. His work to help the Cherokees has made him well known, too. He had to stay in town to visit someone when we got off the train.”
“Town is a long way off,” Jonathan said. “We’ve been traveling in the carriage since way before dark, remember.”
A clock struck twelve somewhere within the house. Mandie paused to count. “Twelve o’clock—midnight,” she announced.
The housekeeper arrived at the top of the stairs and waited for Mrs. Taft and the Senator.
“I’m sorry I’m so slow. I guess I’m not as young as I used to be,” Mrs. Taft said, laughing as the senator took her arm and assisted her to the top step.
“But I am
too
fast,” the housekeeper replied with a smile. “I go up and down all day. Down this corridor, please.” She led them down a long hallway to the left.
“This must be a mile long!” Mandie whispered to her friends, as they hurried to keep up with the others. She shifted Snowball in her arms.
The housekeeper ushered Mrs. Taft into a suite of rooms while the others waited in the doorway. Inside, a maid was already unpacking valises.
“This is lovely, thank you,” Mrs. Taft told the woman. “Now I will need to know where you are putting the young people. This house is so large I may have trouble finding them.”
“Of course, madam,” the housekeeper replied, crossing the hallway to open another door. “This is the gentleman’s suite.”
“Thank you,” Senator Morton said, taking a look inside. “I’ll go along with you to see where the other rooms are.”
Everyone followed the woman down several hallways and through heavy doors that divided the wings of the house. The group fell silent as they took in the surroundings. The place seemed empty.
Finally, the housekeeper stopped and opened a door. “These are your rooms, young ladies,” she said, “and young man, you will be across the hall.” Mandie noticed how deserted this part of the house was and how far away from the adults they would be.
“Will Uncle Ned have a room in this wing, too?” Mandie asked the woman, as she and Celia stepped into the suite they would share.
“Uncle Ned?” the woman questioned.
Mrs. Taft spoke up. “He’s not really her uncle, just a family friend. He will be coming out from town tomorrow. I don’t know if I mentioned him to Mrs. Thaler when she invited us to stay here.”
“There is plenty of room, madam,” Mrs. Hedgewick said. “And if the young people would like him to stay in this wing, I will have the maids prepare another suite first thing in the morning.”
“Oh, thank you!” Mandie said. “I really appreciate that.” She breathed a sigh of relief. This huge house, with its dark shadows and dim lights, was eerie. And with her grandmother all the way across in the other wing, she felt deserted. Uncle Ned, her father’s Cherokee friend, had always looked after Mandie since her father’s death. Uncle Ned had promised Jim Shaw to take care of Mandie, and he’d kept his promise. Her friend wasn’t here yet, but he would arrive.
The housekeeper smiled at Mandie, then crossed the hallway to open the door to Jonathan’s suite. A servant was inside unpacking his luggage.
“Amanda, can you and Celia and Jonathan remember the way to my suite in case you need me?” Mrs. Taft asked, as she and the senator turned to follow the housekeeper.
“Yes, ma’am,” the three chorused.
“Just knock on my door if y’all need anything, no matter what time of the night,” Senator Morton told them.
“Thank you,” Mandie said for them all.
“Breakfast is served at seven o’clock, but since you arrived so
late, if you’d rather have it later I could arrange it,” the housekeeper said to Mrs. Taft.
“No, no, seven o’clock will be fine,” Mrs. Taft replied. Turning back to the young people she said, “Be sure you are all up and dressed in time. Good night now, and sleep well.”
Mandie rushed to her grandmother and stood on tiptoe to plant a kiss on her cheek. Mrs. Taft embraced her, returning Mandie’s sudden show of affection.
“Good night, Grandmother, I love you,” Mandie whispered.
“You are my pride and joy, dear,” Mrs. Taft said, gently pushing a wisp of hair under Mandie’s bonnet.
Mandie rejoined Celia and Jonathan in the hallway.
“Good night, Mrs. Taft, Senator Morton,” Jonathan said.
“Yes, good night to y’all,” Celia added.
The three stood there in the dimly lit corridor, watching the adults until they disappeared around a corner.
“Well, here we are in Switzerland,” Jonathan commented, thrusting his hands into his pockets.
“Yes, here we are, and it all seems so spooky,” Celia said, shivering.
“Celia, I’m sure it won’t seem that way in the morning when the sun comes up,” Mandie said, “especially after Uncle Ned gets here.” She untied her bonnet and removed it with one hand, still holding Snowball with the other.
“But remember, Uncle Ned said there was a mystery about this house—or chalet, as they call it here in Switzerland,” Jonathan remarked.
“I know, and as soon as he comes we’ll see if we can find out what it is!” Mandie exclaimed.
“I guess we’d better say good-night so we can be up in time for breakfast,” Jonathan told the girls as he turned toward his open doorway. “Besides, I need to see where my belongings are being put. See you both in the morning.”
He went into his suite as the girls said good-night.
As Mandie and Celia entered their rooms, Mandie saw a maid hanging her clothes in a large wardrobe in one of the bedrooms off the large sitting room.
“I suppose this will be my room. Those are my clothes,” Mandie remarked as she and Celia stood watching.
“Yes, miss,” the young maid said in perfect English. “And we have supplied a commode for your kitten in the water closet.” She showed them through a doorway into an enormous bathroom with gleaming marble surfaces and gold-plated fixtures. She gestured toward a large ceramic flower pot filled with sand at the end of the big bathtub.
