"Good!" he said, as he opened the door, and with an indescribable
gesture that combined a warning to be ready with a sign of praise for my
correct intuition, he was gone.

I hurried after him, and found the two men waiting for me in front of
the fire.

"I ought to warn you," our host was saying as I came in, "that my
sister, whom you will meet at dinner, is not aware of the real object of
your visit. She is under the impression that we are interested in the
same line of study--folklore--and that your researches have led to my
seeking acquaintance. She comes to dinner in her chair, you know. It
will be a great pleasure to her to meet you both. We have few visitors."

So that on entering the dining-room we were prepared to find Miss Wragge
already at her place, seated in a sort of bath-chair. She was a
vivacious and charming old lady, with smiling expression and bright
eyes, and she chatted all through dinner with unfailing spontaneity. She
had that face, unlined and fresh, that some people carry through life
from the cradle to the grave; her smooth plump cheeks were all pink and
white, and her hair, still dark, was divided into two glossy and sleek
halves on either side of a careful parting. She wore gold-rimmed
glasses, and at her throat was a large scarab of green jasper that made
a very handsome brooch.

Her brother and Dr. Silence talked little, so that most of the
conversation was carried on between herself and me, and she told me a
great deal about the history of the old house, most of which I fear I
listened to with but half an ear.