“Yes; but I don’t believe she could ever have thought of such a thing as this herself, so I believe it must be true,” said the Story Girl.  “Anyway, this is the story, boys.  You know the Awkward Man has lived alone ever since his mother died, ten years ago.  Abel Griggs is his hired man, and he and his wife live in a little house down the Awkward Man’s lane.  Mrs. Griggs makes his bread for him, and she cleans up his house now and then.  She says he keeps it very neat.  But till last fall there was one room she never saw.  It was always locked—­the west one, looking out over his garden.  One day last fall the Awkward Man went to Summerside, and Mrs. Griggs scrubbed his kitchen.  Then she went over the whole house and she tried the door of the west room.  Mrs. Griggs is a very curious woman.  Uncle Roger says all women have as much curiosity as is good for them, but Mrs. Griggs has more.  She expected to find the door locked as usual.  It was not locked.  She opened it and went in.  What do you suppose she found?”

“Something like—­like Bluebeard’s chamber?” suggested Felix in a scared tone.

“Oh, no, no!  Nothing like that could happen in Prince Edward Island.  But if there had been beautiful wives hanging up by their hair all round the walls I don’t believe Mrs. Griggs could have been much more astonished.  The room had never been furnished in his mother’s time, but now it was elegantly furnished, though Mrs. Griggs says she doesn’t know when or how that furniture was brought there.  She says she never saw a room like it in a country farmhouse.  It was like a bed-room and sitting-room combined.  The floor was covered with a carpet like green velvet.  There were fine lace curtains at the windows and beautiful pictures on the walls.  There was a little white bed, and a dressing-table, a bookcase full of books, a stand with a work basket on it, and a rocking-chair.  There was a woman’s picture above the bookcase.  Mrs. Griggs says she thinks it was a coloured photograph, but she didn’t know who it was.  Anyway, it was a very pretty girl.  But the most amazing thing of all was that A woman’s dress was hanging over a chair by the table.  Mrs. Griggs says it never belonged to Jasper Dale’s mother, for she thought it a sin to wear anything but print and drugget; and this dress was of pale blue silk.  Besides that, there was a pair of blue satin slippers on the floor beside it—­high-heeled slippers.  And on the fly-leaves of the books the name ‘Alice’ was written.  Now, there never was an Alice in the Dale connection and nobody ever heard of the Awkward Man having a sweetheart.  There, isn’t that a lovely mystery?”

“It’s a pretty queer yarn,” said Felix.  “I wonder if it is true—­and what it means.”

“I intend to find out what it means,” said the Story Girl.  “I am going to get acquainted with the Awkward Man sometime, and then I’ll find out his Alice-secret.”