Julie couldn't contain her laughter any longer. "Oh, Amanda!" she exclaimed, catching her breath. "Isn't it just hilarious? We're no closer to figuring this out than we were before!" They both dissolved into giggles, the sound echoing eerily in the abandoned house.

In front of them, the enigmatic portrait continued to stare back—a painting of two identical babies. The infants, around two or three years old, were the epitome of cherubic innocence. With plump cheeks, large brown eyes, and golden curls, the twins sat hand-in-hand on a grassy knoll beneath a sprawling tree, solemnly gazing at a distant church steeple. The boy, identifiable by his slightly more austere attire, and the girl were clearly siblings.

Amanda’s eyes softened. "Those poor little things," she murmured. "Can you imagine? Turned to the wall all these years. Why would anyone do that to such innocent faces?"

But Julie wasn't listening. Her mind was racing, and suddenly, she placed her candle on the table and turned to Amanda with a triumphant look. "I’ve got it!" she announced. "The babies are twins, brother and sister. It's obvious! The girl must be our Lovely Lady, and the boy her twin brother. Something happened between them. He must have done something terrible, and she turned his picture to the wall. She didn’t care that her picture was in the same frame. What do you think, Amanda?"

Amanda's eyes widened as she processed Julie's theory. "You might be right," she conceded. "I thought we were stuck when we saw that picture, but it actually helps. Do you think the miniature could be a copy of this painting?"

"Maybe," Julie replied thoughtfully. "Or it could be just the brother when he was older. We can't be sure." All this while, Amanda had been standing with a candle in one hand and a dust cloth in the other. She put the candle on the table and gazed at the dust cloth, deep in thought.

"Julie," she said slowly, "do you think it would be a bad idea if I did something I’ve been dying to do since we first walked into this place?"

Julie looked curious. "What is it?"

"I want to clean this place up a bit," Amanda confessed. "All this dust and these cobwebs are driving me crazy. Plus, I’d love to see what this furniture looks like without all the grime."

Julie’s eyes lit up. "Great idea! Let's do it this afternoon. We'll bring old clothes and have a cleaning spree. It can't hurt anything, and we won't disturb anything important. I'll bring a dust cloth and an old broom. But first, let's finish our studying and get it out of the way. House-cleaning adventure awaits!"

With renewed enthusiasm, the girls hurried to complete their studies, eager for the afternoon ahead. The thought of cleaning their own homes would have filled them with dread, but the prospect of tackling the mystery-laden mansion was thrilling. The allure of uncovering secrets hidden beneath decades of dust was too enticing to resist, and they couldn't wait to dive back into their mysterious exploration.

Smuggling the house-cleaning supplies into the abandoned mansion’s cellar that afternoon was a covert operation. Amanda had added a whisk broom and dustpan to their arsenal, while Julie brought along an old broom and a dust cloth, which she thought was hidden under her sweater. However, a corner of the cloth trailed behind her unnoticed until Max, basking on the veranda steps, spotted it. The temptation was too much for him, and he pounced on the trailing cloth, much to Amanda's amusement.

"Oh, let him come along!" Amanda insisted. "He makes the house feel less eerie. Besides, he discovered it first!" And so, Max, the cat, followed them into the Boarded-up House.

They started with the drawing room. Soon enough, they realized they had underestimated the magnitude of their task. Cleaning by dim candlelight only made it more challenging. They took turns sweeping the thick, moth-eaten carpet with an ancient broom, raising clouds of dust that seemed never-ending. After the first round, the room still felt thick with grime.

Amanda was ready to tackle it again, but Julie sighed, "Oh, never mind it! My arms ache, and so do yours. We'll do it again another time. Now let's dust the furniture and pictures."

With whisk brooms and dust cloths, they set to work. Half an hour later, exhausted and covered in dust, they collapsed into chairs. Though they had only scratched the surface, the room already looked significantly better. The fine old furniture hinted at its former elegance, now partially revealed.

Julie glanced at the large hanging candelabrum and sighed, then suddenly remarked, "Amanda, we have the dimmest light here with only those two candles! Why not light more?"

"We've only three left," Amanda replied, always practical. "And my pocket money is running low again, and you have none left, as usual. We'd better save them until allowance day."

"Tell you what!" Julie said, eyes sparkling with a new idea. "I’ve always wanted to see this room lit up by that big candelabrum. They say candlelight is the prettiest. Sometime, let’s buy enough candles to fill it and light it up. What do you say?"

"It'll cost more than a dollar," Amanda calculated. "Of course, I’d like to see it too, so I’ll split the cost with you. We might only be able to get cheap tallow candles, but they’ll have to do. Do you think anyone could see the light from the street?"

"Of course not," Julie said. "The inside shutters are closed, and the velvet curtains are drawn. It’s impossible. We’ll have our candlelight treat sometime. And I hope we’ll have solved this mystery by then. I feel like we’re not very good detectives."

"But remember," Amanda suggested, "Sherlock Holmes usually solved mysteries right after they happened. This one is from years ago. We're doing as well as Sherlock, considering."

"Maybe," Julie admitted thoughtfully. "It's hard to solve a mystery after so many years! But I'm rested now. Come and see what we can do with the library. I'm dying to look at the Lovely Lady again. I think I love that picture!"

In the adjoining room, they stood for a while, their candles held high, gazing at the portrait of the beautiful woman. The flickering light made her seem almost alive, her eyes watching them with a timeless grace that sent shivers down their spines.

"She's lovely," sighed Julie. "I wish I could have known her. And Amanda, don’t you think she has the same big brown eyes as the girl in the parlor picture? I bet that baby was her."

Reluctantly tearing themselves away from the portrait, they began cleaning the library. The task was monumental, and their enthusiasm waned quickly. Despite their efforts, they made little progress.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"We'll have to leave this for another day," Julie groaned. "I’m exhausted!"

"Alright," Amanda agreed from under a large desk. "But wait till I finish sweeping under here. Oh my gosh, what’s this? I touched something soft!"

Julie rushed over with her candle. "Why, it's Max again!" they exclaimed. The cat was nestled at the back, curled into a ball, purring contentedly.

"He's sitting on an old newspaper," Julie observed. "He loves finding warm spots." She suddenly yanked the paper out, sending Max sliding off with a startled "meow."

"Look, Amanda!" Julie exclaimed, brushing off dust. "This is one of our biggest discoveries yet!" She pointed to the date on the newspaper: April 16, 1861.

"That proves whatever happened here didn’t happen much earlier than this date," Julie said. "Now let’s see if we can find any newspapers with later dates!"

Forgetting their fatigue, they scurried through the house with their candles, finding occasional newspapers tucked away. But all were earlier than their first discovery.

"Well, I’m convinced," Julie announced. "The mystery of this house happened not earlier than April 16, 1861. Just think, Amanda, this place has been shut up and untouched for over forty years! It’s incredible!"

Amanda picked up Max and crooned, "You’re the best detective of us all, Max. We should call you ‘Sherlock Holmes’!"

"She's stunning, absolutely stunning!" sighed Julie, her eyes glued to the portrait. "I wish I could have known her. And Amanda, look closely—those big brown eyes are just like the girl in the baby picture in the parlor. That baby must have been her."

Reluctantly, they tore themselves away from the captivating portrait and began tackling the dust and cobwebs in the library. After their exhausting efforts in the drawing room, they were already feeling the strain. Their initial enthusiasm for cleaning had waned considerably, and progress was slow.

"I think we'll have to save this for another day," groaned Julie, wiping sweat from her forehead. "I’m completely worn out!"

"Okay," Amanda agreed, her voice muffled as she crouched under a large desk in the corner. "But let me just finish up under here. Oh my gosh, what’s that? I just touched something soft!"

Julie hurried over with her candle. "Why, it’s Max again!" they exclaimed in unison. Far in the back, Max was curled into a cozy ball, his front paws tucked under, purring contentedly.

"He's sitting on an old newspaper," Julie observed, her curiosity piqued. "He loves finding warm spots." She suddenly yanked the paper out from under Max, sending him sliding off with a disgruntled "meow."

"Look, Amanda!" Julie exclaimed, dusting off the newspaper with a whisk broom and pointing to the top of the sheet. "This is one of our biggest discoveries yet!" Amanda leaned in, reading aloud:

"Tuesday, April 16, 1861."

"This means whatever happened here didn't take place much earlier than this date, or the paper wouldn’t be here," Julie reasoned. "We need to search for more newspapers with later dates. Let’s do it now!"

Their exhaustion momentarily forgotten, they grabbed their candles and hurried through the house, finding an occasional newspaper tucked away in odd corners. However, every paper they found was dated earlier than their initial discovery. When it became clear there were no more to be found, Julie declared:

"I'm convinced that the mystery of the Boarded-up House happened not earlier than April 16, 1861, and probably not much later. That’s over forty years ago! Imagine this place standing shut up and untouched for all that time. It’s incredible!"

Amanda, meanwhile, had scooped up Max. "You brilliant cat!" she cooed as he struggled in her arms. "You’re the best detective of us all! We should rename you 'Sherlock Holmes'!"

Just then, a soft creaking sound echoed through the hallway, causing the girls to freeze. They exchanged a nervous glance, their earlier excitement turning to apprehension.

"Did you hear that?" Julie whispered, her eyes wide.

Amanda nodded, her grip on Max tightening. "It sounded like it came from the attic."

Julie took a deep breath. "Let’s check it out. We’ve come this far, we can’t stop now."

Holding their candles aloft, they cautiously made their way towards the attic stairs. The house seemed to groan in response, each step they took amplified in the eerie silence. When they reached the attic door, they hesitated.

"Ready?" Julie asked, her voice barely audible.

"Ready," Amanda replied, her eyes determined despite her fear.

Julie slowly pushed open the door, and they were met with a rush of stale, cold air. The attic was filled with shadows, the corners obscured in darkness. As they stepped inside, their candlelight revealed an old, dusty trunk in the center of the room.

"Should we open it?" Amanda asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"We have to," Julie said, her curiosity outweighing her fear. She knelt beside the trunk and carefully lifted the lid. Inside, they found an assortment of old documents, letters, and photographs, all meticulously preserved.

"Look at this," Julie said, pulling out a faded photograph. It was a picture of the beautiful woman from the portrait, standing beside a man who looked remarkably like her—a twin.

"This must be her brother," Amanda whispered. "The one from the baby picture."

As they sifted through the contents of the trunk, they pieced together the story of a family torn apart by betrayal and tragedy. The woman, known as the Lovely Lady, had turned her brother’s picture to the wall after discovering his involvement in a scandal that had brought shame to their family.

Julie held up a final letter, her hands trembling. "This explains everything. Her brother was accused of something terrible, and she couldn't bear to look at his face anymore."

The mystery of the Boarded-up House had finally been unraveled, but it left Julie and Amanda with more questions than answers. As they closed the trunk and headed back downstairs, they couldn’t shake the feeling that the house still held secrets waiting to be discovered.

"We’ll have to come back," Julie said, her voice resolute. "There’s more to this story, I can feel it."

Amanda nodded in agreement. "And next time, we’ll be better prepared. Maybe we’ll even bring more candles."

They left the house that evening, the echoes of its secrets following them out into the night. Max trotted along behind them, his tail held high, the unofficial guardian of their newfound mystery.