beating panels of metal sheeting, and the sound of it quite startled me from my bed.
“Pulling my robe around my shoulders, I took up a candle and crept from my room, anxious to understand the nature of the bizarre noise. The hallway outside of my room was dark and deserted. The entire episode had the quality of an intangible dream and I wondered, briefly, if I weren’t acting out the fantasies of a nightmare, inspired by the gothic novel I had indulged myself with just a few hours earlier. Yet the banging was so loud and persistent that I knew it had to be real. I crossed the hall, feeling the chill draught as it swelled up the stairwell. The sound was coming from deep within the bowels of the house, far below where I was standing. I wondered why there was no sign of Crawford or any of the staff. Surely they must have been awoken by the thunderous sounds?”
“Remarkable. Did you find out what it was?”
Newbury laughed. “Yes. Indeed. And I fear it was nothing as sensational as you might have imagined, Charles. At the time, however, I admit I was perplexed. I made my way down the stairs in the darkness, my candle guttering and threatening to leave me stranded alone in the shadowy hallway at the foot of the stairs. Then, startled, I heard the shuffling sound of approaching footsteps and all of a sudden Chester was upon me.”
Bainbridge frowned. “The manservant? Had he set upon you in the darkness?”
“No, no. But he certainly gave me a fright. His face loomed out of the gloom like some sort of ancient, otherworldly spirit. He was dressed in a robe and his candle had been extinguished, burned down in its holder. He appeared to be heading towards the stairway, returning from a brief sojourn elsewhere in the house. He asked if he could help me with anything, evidently unclear as to the reason for my appearance in the hallway at such a late hour. Puzzled, I enquired about the banging sounds, which were still ringing loudly beneath us—underneath, I realised, the ground floor of the house itself. I surmised that there was obviously a large cellar somewhere far below.
“Chester, who seemed entirely nonplussed by the intolerable sound, shook his head and smiled. ‘Nothing to be alarmed about, sir. The master often works late into the night. Best to leave him to his labours.’ He put his hand on my arm as if to shepherd me back to bed. Unsure how else to respond, and realising there was little I could do about the noise, I resigned myself to a sleepless night and retraced my steps, following Chester up the creaking stairs and along the galleried landing to my room. After I had heard Chester retreat to the servants’ quarters I lay awake for some time, disturbed by the noise, but also suspicious of the manservant and the reasons for his midnight stroll around the house.”
Bainbridge stroked his moustache thoughtfully and searched around in his jacket pockets until he located his walnut cigar case. Withdrawing a cigar, he snipped the end with his silver cutter and flicked the brown cap skilfully into the ashtray. Then, taking up one of Newbury’s matches, he lit the fat tube with a brief flourish and sat back in his chair, regarding the younger man. “For how long did Hambleton continue with his bizarre nocturnal pursuit?”
“Hours. There was little peace that night, and if truth be told, I rather abused Crawford’s patience by taking the opportunity to rise late the next day. I was still groggy from lack of sleep and I admit I found myself a little out of sorts.
“The others were finishing their breakfast when I finally made my way down to the dining room, and even though I was suffering from a terrible bout of lethargy, I was keen to discover more about the nature of the work that had kept Hambleton busy so late into the night.”
“I suspect he looked done in, after spending most of the night beating metal?”
Newbury shook his head. “That was one of the strangest things about the entire episode.
“Pulling my robe around my shoulders, I took up a candle and crept from my room, anxious to understand the nature of the bizarre noise. The hallway outside of my room was dark and deserted. The entire episode had the quality of an intangible dream and I wondered, briefly, if I weren’t acting out the fantasies of a nightmare, inspired by the gothic novel I had indulged myself with just a few hours earlier. Yet the banging was so loud and persistent that I knew it had to be real. I crossed the hall, feeling the chill draught as it swelled up the stairwell. The sound was coming from deep within the bowels of the house, far below where I was standing. I wondered why there was no sign of Crawford or any of the staff. Surely they must have been awoken by the thunderous sounds?”
“Remarkable. Did you find out what it was?”
Newbury laughed. “Yes. Indeed. And I fear it was nothing as sensational as you might have imagined, Charles. At the time, however, I admit I was perplexed. I made my way down the stairs in the darkness, my candle guttering and threatening to leave me stranded alone in the shadowy hallway at the foot of the stairs. Then, startled, I heard the shuffling sound of approaching footsteps and all of a sudden Chester was upon me.”
Bainbridge frowned. “The manservant? Had he set upon you in the darkness?”
“No, no. But he certainly gave me a fright. His face loomed out of the gloom like some sort of ancient, otherworldly spirit. He was dressed in a robe and his candle had been extinguished, burned down in its holder. He appeared to be heading towards the stairway, returning from a brief sojourn elsewhere in the house. He asked if he could help me with anything, evidently unclear as to the reason for my appearance in the hallway at such a late hour. Puzzled, I enquired about the banging sounds, which were still ringing loudly beneath us—underneath, I realised, the ground floor of the house itself. I surmised that there was obviously a large cellar somewhere far below.
“Chester, who seemed entirely nonplussed by the intolerable sound, shook his head and smiled. ‘Nothing to be alarmed about, sir. The master often works late into the night. Best to leave him to his labours.’ He put his hand on my arm as if to shepherd me back to bed. Unsure how else to respond, and realising there was little I could do about the noise, I resigned myself to a sleepless night and retraced my steps, following Chester up the creaking stairs and along the galleried landing to my room. After I had heard Chester retreat to the servants’ quarters I lay awake for some time, disturbed by the noise, but also suspicious of the manservant and the reasons for his midnight stroll around the house.”
Bainbridge stroked his moustache thoughtfully and searched around in his jacket pockets until he located his walnut cigar case. Withdrawing a cigar, he snipped the end with his silver cutter and flicked the brown cap skilfully into the ashtray. Then, taking up one of Newbury’s matches, he lit the fat tube with a brief flourish and sat back in his chair, regarding the younger man. “For how long did Hambleton continue with his bizarre nocturnal pursuit?”
“Hours. There was little peace that night, and if truth be told, I rather abused Crawford’s patience by taking the opportunity to rise late the next day. I was still groggy from lack of sleep and I admit I found myself a little out of sorts.
“The others were finishing their breakfast when I finally made my way down to the dining room, and even though I was suffering from a terrible bout of lethargy, I was keen to discover more about the nature of the work that had kept Hambleton busy so late into the night.”
“I suspect he looked done in, after spending most of the night beating metal?”
Newbury shook his head. “That was one of the strangest things about the entire episode.
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