Тайна загадочной лестницы [with w_cat] | страница 39

[571] The frail, elderly woman smiled. There were deep circles under her eyes, indicating that she had had a sleepless night.

[572] "And I'll run the vacuum cleaner around and dust this first floor in less than half an hour," Helen said merrily.

[573] Her relatives caught the spirit of her enthusiasm and Miss Flora remarked, "I wish you girls lived here all the time. Despite our troubles, you have brought a feeling of gaiety back into our lives."

[574] Both girls smiled at the compliment. As soon as the two women had gone outdoors, the girls set to work with a will. At the end of the allotted half hour, the first floor of the mansion was spotless. Nancy and Helen next went to the second floor, quickly made the beds, and tidied the bathrooms.

[575] "And now for that ghost!" said Helen, brandishing her flashlight.

[576] Nancy took her own from a bureau drawer.

[577] "Let's see if we can figure out how to climb these attic stairs without making them creak," Nancy suggested. "Knowing how may come in handy some time."

[578] This presented a real challenge. Every inch of each step was tried before the girls finally worked out a pattern to follow in ascending the stairway noiselessly.

[579] Helen laughed, "This will certainly be a memory test, Nancy. I'll rehearse our directions. First step, put your foot to the left near the wall. Second step, right center. Third step, against the right wall. I'll need three feet to do that!"

[580] Nancy laughed too. "For myself, I think I'll skip the second step. Let's see. On the fourth and fifth it's all right to step in the center, but on the sixth you hug the left wall, on the seventh, the right wall—"

[581] Helen interrupted. "But if you step on the eighth any place, it will creak. So you skip it."

[582] "Nine, ten, and eleven are okay," Nancy recalled. "But from there to fifteen at the top we're in trouble."

[583] "Let's see if I remember," said Helen. "On twelve, you go left, then right, then right again. How can you do that without a jump and losing your balance and tumbling down?"

[584] "How about skipping fourteen and then stretching as far as you can to reach the top one at the left where it doesn't squeak," Nancy replied. "Let's go!"

[585] She and Helen went back to the second floor and began what was meant to be a silent ascent. But both of them made so many mistakes at first the creaking was terrific. Finally, however, the girls had the silent spots memorized perfectly and went up noiselessly.