Darkness Mist & Shadow - The Collected Macabre Tales of Basil Copper - Volume One by Copper Basil

Author:Copper, Basil [Copper, Basil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: PS Publishing Ltd
Published: 2018-02-28T21:00:00+00:00

He ate his meal alone in a small, pleasant room that opened on to the lawn, with Joseph as the sole attendant to his needs. He was astonished to find that the garden, which had appeared such a ruin from his window the previous night was, at closer acquaintance, obviously well-tended, with smooth lawns, well-kept beds and rose bushes lining trellised pathways. He was annoyed with himself, for having made such a stupid error and after breakfast walked over to the French doors for a closer inspection but was unable to open the fastenings in order to gain access to the terrace.

Just then Dr. Fabri entered with smiling apologies for his non-appearance at breakfast.

“I have much to do, you know,” he said jovially. He enquired politely how Trumble had slept; the latter had decided to say nothing about the locked bedroom door and privately meant to see whether it was his employer’s intention to keep him segregated from the main house during the nights. In the meantime there was much to engage his attention; while Joseph cleared the table Dr. Fabri and his new employee took a turn round the vast garden, which confirmed Trumble’s estimate through the window. He resolved to have a look at his bedroom casement that evening; there might be some distorting quality in the glass.

The two men returned to the house half an hour later, chatting in a desultory way of Trumble’s duties; he gathered that he would be expected to keep Dr. Fabri’s appointments diary, work out his day for him, answer the telephone and do the indexing on the doctor’s vast collection of books and documents. Apparently there were a great many more papers apart from the main library and it would take him a month or two to find his way around.

Trumble learned, with some pleasure, that he would have most afternoons free but, in return, was expected to put in an hour or two in the evenings, as Dr. Fabri might require from time to time; he would also have to take some dictation and he was glad that he had once learned shorthand in the days when he was contributing to magazines; the facility would obviously come in useful.

At this point in their conversation the two men had returned to the vast study, where the doctor was engaged in pointing out various aspects of his indexing system in the large green filing cabinets which lined one corner of the room.

“There is one other part of the house which will be your special domain,” he said with a spark of humour in his eye, as he drew the young man down the shelving. “I think you will find it not the least interesting aspect of your new duties.”

He beckoned to where the platform sprang from the floor of the main study. The two men ascended the spiral staircase, their steps echoing hollowly on the treads.

The shadowy statues leered darkly from their niches but Trumble had little time to take in their

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