The Bronze Hand | Page 5

of entering, unseen by any one, and
possibly unheard. To my dismay, the first twist I gave it resulted in a
rusty shriek that set my teeth on edge, and echoed down the gloomy
hall. With my flesh creeping, I opened the door and passed into the
doctor's outer room.
It was far from being empty. Seated in chairs ranged along two sides of
the room, I saw a dozen or more persons, male and female. All wore
the preoccupied air that patients are apt to assume while awaiting their
turn to be called by the doctor. One amongst the number made an effort
at indifference by drawing out and pushing back a nail in the flooring
with the sole of her pretty shoe. It may have been intended for coquetry,
and at another time might have bewitched me; now it seemed strangely
out of place. The man who was to all appearance counting the flies in
the web of an industrious spider was more in keeping with the place,
my feelings, and the atmosphere of despondency that the room gave
out.
As I had no doubt that the ring I was seeking was in the possession of
some one of these persons, I gave each as minute an examination as
was possible under the circumstances. Only two amongst them
appeared open to suspicion. Of these, one was a young man whose
naturally fine features would have prepossessed him in my favor had it
not been for the peculiar alertness of his bright blue eye, which flashed
incessantly in every direction till each and all of us seemed to partake
of his restlessness and anxiety. Why was he not depressed? The other
was the girl, or, rather, the young lady to whose pretty foot I have
referred. If she was at all conspicuous, it was owing to the contrast
between her beautiful face and the Quaker-like simplicity of her dress.
She was restless also; her foot had ceased its action, but her hand
moved constantly. Now it clutched its fellow in her lap, and now it ran
in an oft-repeated action, seemingly beyond her control, up and down
and round and round a plain but expensive leather bag she wore at her
side. "She carries the ring," thought I, sitting down in the chair next her.

Meantime, I had not been oblivious of the box. It stood upon a plain
oak table directly opposite the door by which I had come in. It was
about a foot square, and was the only object in the room at all
ornamental. Indeed, there was but little else for the eye to rest on,
consequently most of us looked that way, though I noticed that but few
seemed to take any real interest in that or anything else within sight.
This was encouraging, and I was on the point of transferring my entire
attention to the two persons I have named, when one of them, the
nearest, rose hurriedly and went out.
This was an unexpected move on her part, and I did not know what to
make of it. Had I annoyed her by my scrutiny, or had she divined my
errand? In my doubt, I consulted the face of the man I secretly thought
to be her accomplice. It was non-committal, and, in my doubt as to the
meaning of all this, I allowed myself to become interested in a pale
young woman who had been sitting on the other side of the lady who
had just left. She was evidently a patient who stood in great need of
assistance. Her head hung feebly forward, and her whole figure looked
ready to drop. Yet when a minute later the door of the inner office
opened, and the doctor appeared on the sill in an expectant attitude, she
made no attempt to rise, but pushed forward another woman who
seemed less indisposed than herself. I had to compel myself to think of
all I saw as being real and within my experience.
Surprised by this action on the part of one so ill, I watched the pale girl
for an instant, and almost forgot my mission in the compassion aroused
by her sickly appearance. But soon that mission and my motive for
being in this place were somewhat vividly recalled to me by an
unexpected action on this very young woman's part. With the sudden
movement of an acutely suffering person, she bounded from her seat
and crossed the floor to where the box stood, gasping for breath, and
almost falling against the table when she reached it.
A grunt from the good-looking young man followed; but neither he nor
the middle-aged female with a pitiful skin disease, who had been sitting
near her, offered to go to her assistance, though the latter