"Oh, Amanda!" Julie gasped, finally breaking the silence, "this is just too hilarious! We’re no closer to solving anything than we were before!" They both burst into peals of laughter again.
The sight before them was indeed baffling. Once more facing the room, they stared at the mysterious portrait now revealed—a painting of two babies. They were chubby, contented toddlers, probably around two or three years old, and they looked strikingly similar. The image suggested they were twins, a brother and sister, as evidenced by the boy’s slightly more formal attire. Both children had large, round brown eyes, rosy cheeks, and a halo of fluffy golden curls. They sat hand in hand on a green grassy knoll beneath a sprawling tree, their gaze fixed on a distant church steeple.
"The poor little things!" Amanda exclaimed. "Can you believe they've been turned to the wall all these years? It makes no sense, hiding two innocent babies like that!" But Julie was not listening; her eyes were locked on the portrait with a look of sudden revelation.
"I’ve got it!" Julie announced, her face lighting up. "It just hit me. These babies are twins, obviously. The girl is our Lovely Lady, and the boy must be her twin brother. It’s all starting to make sense! The brother must have done something that upset her deeply, and so she turned his picture to the wall. Her picture happened to be in the same frame, but she didn’t seem to care about that." Julie’s excitement was palpable as she turned to Amanda. "What do you think, Amanda Sprague?"
"You’re onto something," Amanda conceded, her initial disappointment giving way to curiosity. "I thought we were stuck again when I first saw that picture, but it’s actually helped us. Do you think the miniature might have been a version of this painting?"
"It could have been," Julie mused, "or maybe it was just a later portrait of the brother alone. We can’t be sure." Amanda, still holding a candle and a dust cloth, paused and stared thoughtfully at the dusty furniture.
"Julie," Amanda said slowly, "do you think it would be okay if I did something I’ve been itching to do since we first came here?"
"What’s that?" Julie asked, intrigued.
"I want to clean up this place," Amanda replied, her eyes bright with determination. "The dust and cobwebs are driving me crazy. Plus, I’d love to see what the beautiful furniture looks like without all this grime."
"That’s a great idea, Cyn!" Julie responded, her face lighting up with enthusiasm. "Let’s do it! We’ll come back this afternoon in old clothes and give the place a thorough cleaning. It’s not like we’ll be disturbing anything—we’re just making it a little less dusty. I’ll bring a dust cloth and an old broom. But first, let’s finish up our studying so we can focus on this. House-cleaning adventure awaits!"
Their spirits buoyed by the prospect of their new plan, the girls rushed to complete their studies, eager for the afternoon’s unexpected escapade. If their mothers had asked them to tackle such a task at home, they would have been less than thrilled. Yet, the prospect of cleaning an old, mysterious mansion filled with secrets turned the chore into an exciting quest. Little did they realize that their house-cleaning adventure would unravel more than just dust and cobwebs.
Sneaking their cleaning supplies into the old mansion through the cellar window that afternoon proved to be a real challenge. Amanda had added a whisk broom and dustpan to the arsenal, while Julie carried an old broom and a dust cloth that she thought she had hidden under her sweater. However, a long end of the dust cloth trailed behind her, which Max, lounging lazily on the veranda steps, couldn’t resist. Intrigued, Max bounced up, prancing after the trailing fabric like a playful kitten. Amanda’s face lit up when she spotted him.
"Oh, let him come along!" she encouraged, her eyes twinkling. "He makes the place feel more homey. Besides, he was the first to discover this old house!" And so, Max trotted happily behind them into the mansion.
They started their cleaning adventure in the drawing-room. It quickly became apparent that the task was far more daunting than they had anticipated. The dim flicker of candlelight only added to the difficulty, casting eerie shadows that danced around the room. They took turns sweeping the thick, moth-eaten carpet with the ancient broom. After one round, they had collected what seemed like a cartload of dust, yet the floor still looked as grimy as ever. Amanda insisted on another sweep.
"Forget it!" Julie groaned, her arms sore. "We’ll tackle it another day. Let's just dust the furniture and pictures for now." They set to work with the whisk broom and dust cloths.
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Half an hour later, they collapsed into chairs, both exhausted and coated in grime. Despite their efforts, the progress seemed minimal compared to the vast amount of cleaning still needed. Nonetheless, the room had transformed from a dusty mess to a place where the old furniture began to reveal hints of its former elegance. Julie’s gaze fell on the large candelabrum hanging from the ceiling, and she sighed.
"You know, Amanda, it’s so dim with just these two candles. Why don’t we light some more?"
"We only have three left," Amanda pointed out, pragmatic as ever. "And my pocket money is running low, as usual. So we’d better save what we have until allowance day."
"Wait a minute," Julie said, her eyes lighting up with a new idea. "I’ve got a brilliant plan! Just imagine how amazing this room would look with that candelabrum fully lit. They say candlelight is the most enchanting. I’m going to buy enough wax candles to fill that chandelier someday, and we’ll light it up. What do you think?"
"It’ll cost more than a dollar," Amanda replied, calculating in her head. "But I’d love to see it too. I’ll chip in for half the cost. We might only find cheap tallow candles, but they’ll have to do. I wonder, though, if the light might be visible from the street through any gaps in the boarding?"
"No chance," Julie said confidently. "The inside shutters are tightly closed, and the velvet curtains are drawn. No one will see a thing. We’ll save up for the candles and have our little illumination party. And hopefully, by then, we’ll have cracked this mystery. I feel like we're not very good detectives. Sherlock Holmes would have figured it out by now!"
"Don’t be too hard on us," Amanda countered with a smile. "Sherlock Holmes usually solves mysteries shortly after they occur. This happened years ago. I think we’re doing pretty well, considering."
"Maybe you're right," Julie conceded, looking thoughtful. "It's definitely harder when so many years have passed. But I’m feeling re-energized now. Let’s see what we can uncover in the library. I’m dying to take another look at that portrait of the Lovely Lady. I think I’m falling in love with it!" With that, they made their way to the adjoining room, carrying their candles high, their faces illuminated by the flickering light. They stood there, entranced by the portrait of the enigmatic woman.
"She’s absolutely stunning!" Julie sighed, her voice filled with admiration. "Can you see it, Amanda? She has those same deep brown eyes as the girl-baby in the parlor. It’s undeniable—she must be the baby from that painting."
Reluctantly tearing themselves away from the portrait, they began tackling the dust and cobwebs in the library. Exhausted from their earlier efforts in the drawing-room, their progress was slow, and their enthusiasm had dimmed significantly.
"I think we should call it a day," Julie groaned, her fatigue evident. "I’m wiped out!"
"Okay," Amanda agreed, her voice muffled as she was hunched under a massive desk in the corner. "Just let me finish sweeping under here... What’s this? I felt something soft!" Julie hurried over with the candle, peering into the shadowy corner.
"It’s Max, of course!" they exclaimed, spotting the cat curled up in a cozy ball, purring contentedly.
"He’s sitting on an old newspaper, I bet," Julie observed. "He loves those because they’re warm." With a sudden move, she grabbed the newspaper, causing Max to leap away with an indignant "meow."
"Look, Amanda!" Julie said, brushing off a thick layer of dust with the whisk broom. "This is one of our biggest finds yet!" Amanda leaned in to read the newspaper’s date aloud:
"‘Tuesday, April 16, 1861.’"
"That confirms it," Julie said excitedly. "Whatever happened here must have occurred around or after this date. Let’s find any newspapers from a later date—there might be more clues!"
Reinvigorated, they grabbed their candles and scoured the house, uncovering a few more newspapers hidden in various corners. Each one, however, dated earlier than their first discovery. When they found no more papers, Julie concluded:
"I’m convinced now—the mystery of the Boarded-up House likely began on or around April 16, 1861. That’s over forty years ago, considering it’s now 1905! Just imagine this place being shut up and left untouched for all that time. It’s incredible!" Amanda, meanwhile, had scooped up Max, who was meowing discontentedly.
"You’re our best detective, Max!" Amanda cooed, cuddling him despite his protests. "Maybe we should rename you 'Sherlock Holmes'!"
Max wriggled in her arms, but the excitement of their discovery was unmistakable.