Gibbous House 37

I enjoined Maccabi to shew me the house, and bade Miss Pardoner make herself comfortable. The Professor, I invited to dine with us at the hour of eight. It pained me somewhat when he replied:

‘Forgive me, Mr Moffat. But as it is Shabbat, I took the liberty of bidding Mrs Gonderthwaite prepare the shabbat meal. It is kasher. I hope you do not think me too presumptuous.’

Of course I did think him so, but I would not give him the satisfaction of confirming it. I gave him a nod and Maccabi began to show me the seat of my fiefdom.

The staircase led up to a gallery off which led several doors to other parts of the house, including the first floor of both east and west wings. Contrary to the impression created by the appearance of the front elevation, the house seemed to extend to the rear in quite some degree, although to some haphazard plan. Only the vestibule seemed crammed with furniture of madcap selection and sundry bric-a-brac. On the gallery sconced candles threw illumination weakly on the discoloured paper on the walls. This paper was in the french style of half a century before and though not so bright as it once had been was a trompe l’ oeil after those of Zuber et Cie ; a depiction of a vast hall of mirrors.

Maccabi pushed the surface of a faux mirror and it swung ajar. He motioned me through into a long corridor with some twenty doors to other rooms. He turned to me:

‘These are all the usable bedrooms, sir. The west wing is uninhabitable on account of the cats, whilst the east houses the collection.’

‘And where are the servants quarters?’ I asked him.

He coloured a little, replying with a little heat:

‘Miss Pardoner and the Professor are the only other users of these accommodations, sir.’

I guessed he had but recently vacated one, or I had mistaken myself in the man.

Each door had at one time been painted in a different shade of blue, with the nearest to the looking-glass entrance being the lightest, and the last in the corridor being almost midnight. Maccabi cleared his throat:

‘Miss Pardoner has the teal, third on the left. The Professor has the midnight blue at the very end, Mr Moffat. I suggest you inspect the others to see which is the most suitable to your purpose. I shall wait below to show you the rest of the house. I regret I may not accompany you around the grounds once darkness falls.’

It was no surprise that he wished to be rid of me as much as I of him. He was a fool,however, if he thought I would not take the opportunity to investigate what lay behind both the teal and midnight blue doors.