Carmilla

By this time, Madame, Mademoiselle, my father, and a number of the

servants were in the room. Carmilla was, of course, overwhelmed with

inquiries, congratulations, and welcomes. She had but one story to tell,

and seemed the least able of all the party to suggest any way of

accounting for what had happened.

My father took a turn up and down the room, thinking. I saw Carmilla's

eye follow him for a moment with a sly, dark glance.

When my father had sent the servants away, Mademoiselle having gone in

search of a little bottle of valerian and salvolatile, and there being

no one now in the room with Carmilla, except my father, Madame, and

myself, he came to her thoughtfully, took her hand very kindly, led her

to the sofa, and sat down beside her.

"Will you forgive me, my dear, if I risk a conjecture, and ask a

question?"

"Who can have a better right?" she said. "Ask what you please, and I

will tell you everything. But my story is simply one of bewilderment and

darkness. I know absolutely nothing. Put any question you please, but

you know, of course, the limitations mamma has placed me under."

"Perfectly, my dear child. I need not approach the topics on which she

desires our silence. Now, the marvel of last night consists in your

having been removed from your bed and your room, without being wakened,

and this removal having occurred apparently while the windows were still

secured, and the two doors locked upon the inside. I will tell you my

theory and ask you a question."

Carmilla was leaning on her hand dejectedly; Madame and I were

listening breathlessly.

"Now, my question is this. Have you ever been suspected of walking in

your sleep?"

"Never, since I was very young indeed."

"But you did walk in your sleep when you were young?"

"Yes; I know I did. I have been told so often by my old nurse."

My father smiled and nodded.

"Well, what has happened is this. You got up in your sleep, unlocked the

door, not leaving the key, as usual, in the lock, but taking it out and

locking it on the outside; you again took the key out, and carried it

away with you to some one of the five-and-twenty rooms on this floor, or

perhaps upstairs or downstairs. There are so many rooms and closets, so

much heavy furniture, and such accumulations of lumber, that it would

require a week to search this old house thoroughly. Do you see, now,

what I mean?"

"I do, but not all," she answered.

"And how, papa, do you account for her finding herself on the sofa in

the dressing room, which we had searched so carefully?"

"She came there after you had searched it, still in her sleep, and at

last awoke spontaneously, and was as much surprised to find herself

where she was as any one else. I wish all mysteries were as easily and

innocently explained as yours, Carmilla," he said, laughing. "And so we

may congratulate ourselves on the certainty that the most natural

explanation of the occurrence is one that involves no drugging, no

tampering with locks, no burglars, or poisoners, or witches--nothing

that need alarm Carmilla, or anyone else, for our safety."