Read Online The Black Cabinet by Patricia Wentworth - Free Book Online Page B

yourself.”
    â€œWhy? What is it?” said Chloe. She felt along the side until her fingers touched the catch. It lay about a foot in. When she pressed it, it ran smoothly down and fastened with a click. Mitchell Dane nodded.
    â€œThe one on the other side is just the same. Now open it again.”
    Chloe did so.
    â€œBut what does it do?” she asked a little breathlessly.
    â€œThis,” said Mitchell Dane. He took hold of the middle partition and pulled. Quite smoothly, and without making any sound at all, half of the upper part of the cabinet slid forward. It was like pulling out a drawer, only the drawer was three feet high, being in fact a whole section of the cabinet with its block of shallow drawers intact, He lifted the section out and laid it on the floor. The middle of the cabinet was now only a hollow shell. He took a small torch from his pocket and threw its beam into the dark interior. Chloe saw the black lacquer on the inner side of the back. He shifted the light to the left and then to the right, and she caught the gleam of metal.
    â€œTwo more catches there; then that section at the back opens towards you like folding doors.” Chloe came closer, looking hard into the darkness, not looking at Mitchell Dane.
    â€œBut why?” she said, speaking under her breath. “Why?”
    â€œI’m going to tell you why. Behind the door; there’s a safe built into the wall. The cabinet is clamped to the floor so that it can’t be moved—I think I mentioned that. Now, please remember this. Wroughton knows that the safe is here; but he doesn’t know how to open it. It’s a combination lock; and he doesn’t know the combination, and never will. No one else knows anything—at least I shouldn’t think they did. Wroughton wouldn’t talk for his own sake. And Stran—no Stran don’t know anything.”
    â€œWho is Stran?” said Chloe, still in that whispering voice.
    Mitchell Dane gave a short laugh.
    â€œA young devil—and don’t you trust him a yard. I’ve got him in a cleft stick because I always made him give me receipts—they’re in there by the bye.” He flashed the torchlight into the darkness like a pointing finger. “And if he ever gives you any trouble, there’s your remedy.” Chloe drew back with a shiver.
    â€œI don’t understand. What do you mean? I don’t understand a bit. Why do you tell me all is?”
    Mitchell Dane dropped the torch into his pocket, and fitted the missing section back into the body of the cabinet.
    â€œYou’re not wanted to understand. But I’m telling you what’ll be useful to you some day. I want you to listen, and not bother about whether you understand or not. The lock behind there has a combination. We’ll go into my study after this and I’ll show you the sort of thing, and how it works. You can’t open it unless you’ve got the right word. If I ever want you to open it, I’ll send you the word. But you’re not to pass it on to any living soul. Do you hear? Don’t trust anyone!”
    â€œOh!” said Chloe. “That’s horrible!” Mitchell Dane was Mr. Dark—the someone whom you didn’t like and couldn’t bear to touch. There was all the child’s instinctive repulsion in Chloe’s voice.
    He replaced the drawers which hid the side catches, and closed the cabinet, locking it with a key which had a twisted handle and hung from a fine steel chain. When he had put the key in his pocket, he turned and looked at Chloe with a little glint in his cold eyes.
    â€œHorrible, is it?” he said. “Yes, I suppose you would think that. Let me give you a very serious piece of advice—if everybody acted on it, there wouldn’t be nearly so much trouble in the world. It’s just this. Don’t love anyone, because if you do, sooner or later you’ll get hurt. Don’t trust