Page:The Whisper on the Stair by Lyon Mearson (1924).djvu/304

 “Nonsense,” scoffed Jessica. “Let’s both go in.”

“Righto!” said Val. “Where’s that flash?”

Eddie handed it to him, and he stooped to enter the cave.

“It gets higher when you’re about five or six feet inside,” said Jessica, who was right behind him. “High enough for you to stand up.”

Val grunted in response. All was black before him; he could see absolutely nothing. He brought the pocket flashlight to bear on the floor and side of the cave.

The floor was smooth as though it had been rolled out with a tennis court roller. The walls were jagged, dripping with moisture. He stood up. The roof just cleared his head. A moment later Jessica was standing beside him. A frightened bat, with a tremendous whirring of wings, flew round and round in circles, startling Jessica momentarily.

“Oh!” she said, grasping Val’s arm. That steadied her instantly.

“See anything?” she asked.

“Not a thing,” he replied. “How much farther does this cave run back?”

“Only a few feet, and then around a bend to the left,” she replied.

They advanced, playing the gleam of light on every side, letting it shine in all likely places.

“Turn here,” Jessica guided him.

The cave now broadened out to the proportions of a chamber. At the level of Val’s head was a small natural shelf in the living rock. He gave an exclamation of delight when his light fell upon it.

On the shelf was a tin box about a foot and a half square.