And so it came about that towards evening she found herself in the upper
hall, and after making a tour of the rooms, whose doors were open, she
came to one whose door was shut--nor could she turn the knob, although
she tried with all her might. Doubling her tiny fist, she knocked upon
the door, and then, as no one came, kicked against it with her foot, but
still with no result.
Inside the room, with Gretchen's picture, Arthur sat in his
dressing-gown, very nervous and a little inclined to be irritable and
captious. He knew there had been an inquest, and that many people had
come and gone that day, for he had seen them from his window, and had
seen, too, the sleigh, with Frank, and the coroner, and Harold, and a
blue hood, drive into the yard. But to the blue hood he never gave a
thought, as he was only intent upon the dead woman, whose presence in
the house made him so nervous and restless.
'I shall be glad when she is buried. I have been so cold and shaky ever
since they brought her here,' he said to Charles, as, with a shiver, he
drew his chair nearer to the fire and leaning back wearily in it fixed
his eyes upon Gretchen's picture smiling at him from the window, 'Dear
little Gretchen,' he said in a whisper, 'you seem so near to me now that
I can almost hear your feet at the door, and your voice asking to come
in.
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