Upon the evening of the day that followed Septimus May resumed the subject concerning which he had already fitfully spoken.His ideas were now in order, and he brought a formidable argument to support a strange request.Indeed, it amounted to a demand, and for a time it seemed doubtful whether Sir Walter would deny him.The priest, indeed, declared that he could take no denial, and his host was thankful that other and stronger arguments than his own were at hand to argue the other side.For Dr.Mannering stayed at the manor house after the funeral, and the Rev.Noel Prodgers, the vicar of Chadlands, a distant connection of the Lennoxes, was also dining there.Until now Mannering could not well speak, but he invited himself to dinner on the day after the funeral that he might press a course of action upon those who had suffered so severely.He wished Sir Walter to take his daughter away at once, for her health's sake, and while advancing this advice considered the elder also, for these things had upset the master of Chadlands in mind and body, and Mannering was aware of it.
On the morrow Peter Hardcastle would arrive, and he had urgently directed that his coming should be in a private capacity, unknown to the local police or neighborhood.Neither did he wish the staff of Chadlands to associate him with the tragedy.
An official examination of the room had been made by the local constabulary, as upon the occasion of Nurse Forrester's death; but it was a perfunctory matter, and those responsible for it understood that special attention would presently be paid to the problem by the supreme authority."After this man has been and gone, I do earnestly beg you to leave England and get abroad, Sir Walter," said Mannering."I think it your duty, not only for your girl's sake, but your own.Do not even wait for the report.There is nothing to keep you, and I shall personally be very thankful and relieved if you will manage this and take Mary to some fresh scenes, a place or country that she has not visited before.There is nothing like an entirely novel environment for distracting the mind,bracing the nerves, and restoring tone."
"I must do my duty," answered the other, "and that remains to be seen.If Hardcastle should find out anything, there may be a call upon me.At least, I cannot turn my back upon Chadlands till the mystery is threshed out to the bottom, as far as man can do it."It was then that Septimus May spoke and astounded his hearers.
"You give me the opportunity to introduce my subject," he said, "for it bears directly on Sir Walter's intentions, and it is in my power, as I devoutly believe, to free him swiftly of any further need to remain here.I am, of course, prepared to argue for my purpose, but would rather not do so.Briefly, I hold it a vital obligation to spend this night in the Grey Room, and I ask that no obstacle of any kind be raised to prevent my doing so.The wisdom of man is foolishness before the wit of God, and what I desire to do is God's will and wish, impressed upon me while I knelt for long hours and prayed to know it.I am convinced, and that should be enough.In this matter I am far from satisfied that all has yet been done, within the Almighty's purpose and direction, to discover the mystery of our terrible loss.But He helps those who help themselves, remember, and I owe it to my son, Sir Walter, and you owe it to your daughter Mary first, and the community also, to take such steps as Heaven, through me, has now directed."They were for a moment struck dumb by this extraordinary assertion and demand.A thousand objections leaped to the lips of the elder men,and Mr.Prodgers, a devout young Christian of poor physique but great spiritual courage, found himself as interested by this fearless demand of faith as the others were alarmed by it.
Sir Walter spoke.
"We know it is so, May.None recognizes our obligations, both to the living and the dead, more acutely than I do.A very famous man of European reputation will be here to-morrow, and if you, too, desire a representative, you have only got to say so.""I desire no representative armed with material craft or knowledge of criminal procedure.I am my own representative, and I come armed with greater power than any you can command on earth, Sir Walter.I mean my Maker's response to my prayer.I must spend the night in that room, and cannot leave Chadlands until I have done so.I trust to no human expedient or precaution, for such things would actually disarm me; but my faith is in the God I have served to the best of my power from my youth up.I entertain not the least shadow of fear or doubt.To fear or doubt would be to fail.I rely absolutely on the Supreme Being who has permitted this unspeakable sorrow to fall upon us, and there is no living man less likely than myself to fall a victim to the unknown spirit hidden here and permitted to exercise such awful control over us.The time has come to challenge that spirit in the name of its Maker, and to cleanse your house once and for all of something which, potent for evil though it is allowed to be, must yield to the forces of the Most High, even in the feeble hand of His minister."The doctor spoke.
"Is it possible, sir, that you attribute your son's death to anything but natural physical forces?" he asked.
