The Grey Room | Page 7

summoned her
without receiving any reply. Then they called me.
"I could only direct that the door should be forced open as speedily as
possible, and we were engaged in this task when Mannering, my
medical man, who shot with us to-day, arrived to see Mary. I told him
what had happened. He went in to look at my girl, and felt satisfied that
she was holding her own well - indeed, he thought her stronger; and
just as he told me so the door into the Grey Room yielded. Mannering
and my housekeeper, Mrs. Forbes, entered the room, while Masters,
Fred Caunter, my footman, who had broken down the lock, and I
remained outside.
"The doctor presently called me, and I went in. Nurse Forrester was
apparently lying awake in bed, but she was not awake. She slept the
sleep of death. Her eyes were open, but glazed, and she was already
cold. Maunering declared that she had been dead for a good many
hours. Yet, save for a slight but hardly unnatural pallor, not a trace of
death marked the poor little creature. An expression of wonder seemed
to sit on her features, but otherwise she was looking much as I had last
seen her, when she said 'Good-night.' Everything appeared to be orderly

in the room. It was now flooded with the first light of a sunny morning,
for she had drawn her blind up and thrown her window wide open. The
poor lady passed out of life without a sound or signal to indicate
trouble, for in the silence of night Jane Bond must have heard any
alarm had she raised one. To me it seemed impossible to believe that
we gazed upon a corpse. But so it was, though, as a matter of form, the
doctor took certain measures to restore her. But animation was not
suspended; it had passed beyond recall.
"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 the
funeral. 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