Deadlight-Hall(63)

I shall lock my bedroom door each night, and I keep a large bread knife to hand during the daytime. If you could come to the Hall as soon as possible to discuss this, I should take that very kindly.

Yours very truly,

Maria Porringer.

Michael sat down for a moment, slightly puzzled, because it was surprising to find Maria Porringer – surely a severe and even a cruel woman – had been so frightened by a group of children whispering in a dark old house.

But whatever else she was, it had to be said that the old girl had a fine line in rhetoric when she got going, while as for John Hurst, Michael was inclined to think kindly of a man who had tried to teach Shakespeare and Milton to orphans.

He delved into the package again, to see what else it might contain, and drew out what looked like a local newspaper cutting of around the same date.

MYSTERY AT DEADLIGHT HALL: Disappearance of two girls.

Police were yesterday called to Deadlight Hall, the local Orphanage and Apprentice House owned and run by the Deadlight Hall Trust (Chairman Mr Augustus Breadspear), to investigate the whereabouts of two of the girls, Rosie and Daisy Mabbley.

The girls, who are sisters and have been in the care of the Hall for most of their lives, were discovered to be missing by Mr John Hurst of Willow Bank Farm, who visited Deadlight Hall to give his weekly reading and writing lesson to the younger children.

[Readers will be aware that Mr Hurst, something of a local philanthropist and benefactor, was active in creating the local school a few years ago.]

Mr Hurst told us that as a rule there were around eight children at his Saturday afternoon classes at the Hall, with the Mabbley sisters always present.

‘They enjoyed the lessons and were keen to learn,’ he said. ‘I was interesting them in poetry and plays – in fact we were planning to stage a small nativity play as part of the Christmas celebrations at St Bertelin’s Church. The Mabbley girls were enjoying that, very much, so the fact that they were not there that afternoon and that no explanation could be found for their absence caused me considerable concern.’

Mr Hurst had asked Mrs Maria Porringer, Deadlight Hall’s superintendent, to assist him in a search of the house and the grounds. When no trace of the sisters could be found, Mr Hurst reported the girls’ absence to local police and then to our newspaper, asking if we would advertise their disappearance. This, of course, we are very pleased to do, for it is a shocking thing if some tragedy has befallen two young girls, particularly so near to Christmas.

[We draw readers’ attention to our weather report on Page 6, which gives a doomful warning of thick snow and blizzards over Christmas.]

Mrs Maria Porringer also spoke to our reporter when he called at Deadlight Hall, and expressed herself as very concerned for Rosie and Daisy’s whereabouts.

‘A very thorough search I made of the Hall,’ she said. ‘Mr John Hurst along with two of the older children helped me. Cellars to attics we searched, and between us we looked into every nook and cranny. There was no trace of the girls anywhere. And after Mr Hurst left, the police came in, and a young police constable helped me to go over the house again. A most helpful young man he was.’

Asked about Rosie and Daisy, she told our reporter they were very well-behaved girls.

‘And only two weeks ago I was able to find them places in the employment of Mr Augustus Breadspear at Salamander House. It was a good place for them; they would have learned a trade, and also been able to work together, which I thought a very fortunate circumstance.’ Here, Mrs Porringer had to break off, being overcome with emotion.

She revived sufficiently, however, to tell our reporter that the girls had seemed to like the work in Salamander House’s kiln room, and had been keen to do well.

‘They went off on Tuesday morning, exactly as usual,’ she said. ‘After eating a good breakfast, of course, for it’s always been my pride to send my young people out to their work with good nourishing food inside them, particularly of a cold winter’s morning. I watched them go myself, from the front door of this very house.’

This time Mrs Porringer succumbed completely to distress, and was unable to continue the interview.

Mr Augustus Breadspear admitted he had been annoyed when the girls had failed to appear on Tuesday morning. He had thought there might be some illness, and it was only much later that he had been told they had vanished.

‘I am very concerned for them,’ he said.

Anyone having any information that might assist in the search for the girls is asked to go at once to the local police station or come to our offices.