"There was held a post-mortem examination, and an inquest, of course; and Mannering, who felt deep professional interest, asked a friend from Plymouth to conduct the examination.Their report astounded all concerned and crowned the mystery, for not a trace of any physical trouble could be discovered to explain Nurse Forrester's death.She was thin, but organically sound in every particular, nor could the slightest trace of poison be reported.Life had simply left her without any physical reason.Search proved that she had brought no drugs or any sort of physic with her, and no information to cast the least light came from the institution for which she worked.She was a favorite there, and the news of her sudden death brought sorrow to her many personal friends.
"The physicians felt their failure to find a natural and scientific cause for her death.Indeed, Dr.Mordred, from Plymouth, an eminent pathologist, trembled not a little about it, as Mannering afterwards told me.The finite mind of science hates, apparently, to be faced with any mystery beyond its power to explain.It regards such an incident as a challenge to human intellect, and does not remember that we are encompassed with mystery as with a garment, and that every day and every night are laden with phenomena for which man cannot account, and never will.
"Nurse Forrester's relations - a sister and an old mother - came to thefuneral.Also her dearest woman friend, another professional nurse, whose name I do not recollect.She was buried at Chadlands, and her grave lies near our graves.Mary loves to tend it still, though to her the dead woman is but a name.Yet to this day she declares that she can remember Nurse Forrester's voice through her fever - gentle, yet musical and cheerful.As for me, I never mourned so brief an acquaintance so heartily.To part with the bright creature, so full of life and kindliness, and to stand beside her corpse but eight or nine hours afterwards, was a chastening and sad experience."Sir Walter became pensive, and did not proceed for the space of a minute.None, however, spoke until he had again done so:
"That is the story of what is called our haunted room, so far as this generation is concerned.What grounds for its sinister reputation existed in the far past I know not - only a vague, oral tradition came to my father from his, and it is certain that neither of them attached any personal importance to it.But after such a peculiar and unfortunate tragedy, you will not be surprised that I regarded the chamber as ruled out from my domiciliary scheme, and denied it to any future guests.""Do you really associate the lady's death with the room, Walter?" asked Mr.Travers.
"Honestly I do not, Ernest.And for this reason: I deny that any malignant, spiritual personality would ever be permitted by the Creator to exercise physical powers over the living, or destroy human beings without reason or justice.The horror of such a possibility to the normal mind is sufficient argument against it.Causes beyond our apparent knowledge were responsible for the death of Nurse Forrester; but who shall presume to say that was really so? Why imagine anything so irregular? I prefer to think that had the post-mortem been conducted by somebody else, subtle reasons for her death might have appeared.Science is fallible, and even specialists make outrageous mistakes.""You believe she died from natural causes beyond the skill of those particular surgeons to discover?" asked Colonel Vane.
"That is my opinion.Needless to say, I should not tell Mannering so.But to what other conclusion can a reasonable man come? I do not, ofcourse, deny the supernatural, but it is weak-minded to fall back upon it as the line of least resistance."Then Fayre-Michell repeated his question.He had listened with intense interest to the story.
"Would you deny that ghosts, so to call them, can be associated with one particular spot, to the discomfort and even loss of reason, or life, of those that may be in that spot at the psychological moment, Sir Walter?""Emphatically I would deny it," declared the elder."However tragic the circumstances that might have befallen an unfortunate being in life at any particular place, it is, in my opinion, monstrous to suppose his disembodied spirit will hereafter be associated with the place.We must be reasonable, Felix.Shall the God Who gave us reason be Himself unreasonable?""And yet there are authentic - However, I admit the weight of your argument.""At the same time," ventured Mr.Travers, "none can deny that many strange and terrible things happen, from hidden causes quite beyond human power to explain.""They do, Ernest; and so I lock up my Grey Room and rule it out of our scheme of existence.At present it is full of lumber - old furniture and a pack of rubbishy family portraits that only deserve to be burned, but will some day be restored, I suppose.""Not on my account, Uncle Walter," said Henry Lennox."I have no more respect for them than yourself.They are hopeless as art.""No, no one must restore them.The art is I believe very bad, as you say, but they were most worthy people, and this is the sole memorial remaining of them.""Do let us see the room, governor," urged Tom May."Mary showed it to me the first time I came here, and I thought it about the jolliest spot in the house.""So it is, Tom," said Henry."Mary says it should be called the Rose Room, not the grey one.""All who care to do so can see it," answered Sir Walter, rising."We will look in on our way to bed.Get the key from my key-cabinet in thestudy.Henry, It's labelled 'Grey Room.'"
