the key rattled in the lock echoing through the empty hallway of my grandfather's Victorian Mansion my Mansion now the door creaked open revealing Shadows that danced across faded wallpaper and Dusty hardwood floors the musty scent of aged wood and forgotten memories filled my lungs I'm Rebecca and this was supposed to be my fresh start my inheritance my chance to build something meaningful with Mark my husband of 6 months but standing there in that dim entryway something felt wrong off-kilter like the house itself was holding its breath quite the fixer upper Mark said his hand settling
on my lower back mom's going to have a field day helping us renovate this place I stiffened at his words but forced a smile I was thinking we could take our time figure out what we want to do first come on babe you know Mom has an eye for these things she's already sketched out some ideas of course she had Susan my mother-in-law had been sketching out ideas for my life since the day Mark introduced us always with that sacarin smile always with the best intentions always making me feel like I was somehow falling short
I moved deeper into the house my heels clicking against the floor the sound bounced off the walls mixing with The Whispers of past conversations and family gatherings my grandfather's presence lingered in every corner in the worn leather armchair by the window in the collection of antique books lining the shelves in the faint scent of his pipe tobacco that somehow still clung to the curtains the master bedroom's upstairs I said heading toward the staircase I thought we could actually Mark interrupted checking his phone Mom and Dad are on their way over they want to see the
place while there's still daylight my hand froze on the banister you invited them today they're just excited to help Rebecca don't make it weird I bit back the words rising in my throat don't make it weird as if I was the one crossing boundaries as if I was the one who couldn't let their adult son make decisions without consultation the sound of car tires on gravel made my stomach clench through the front window I watched Susan and Tom's Mercedes pull up pristine and imposing against the overgrown Garden Susan emerged first her perfectly quaffed Hair unmoved
by the Autumn Breeze her designer handbags swinging from her arm oh darling she called out as she swept through the front door arms outstretched what a Charming old place though that exterior paint simply won't do Tom make a note we'll need to call our contractor I stepped back from her Embrace bumping into a side table a small wooden box I hadn't noticed before teetered and fell spilling its contents across the floor as I knelt to gather the scattered papers my hand froze over a yellowed envelope addressed to me in my my grandfather's distinctive scroll leave
that for now Susan said her voice sharp despite its sweetness we need to discuss the renovations before it gets dark mark darling show me the kitchen but I wasn't listening anymore my fingers trembled as I opened the envelope unfolding a single sheet of paper my dearest Rebecca it began if you're reading this then they've already started moving in don't let them do to you what they did to me the truth is in the walls and so is your strength love grandpa I looked up to find Susan watching me her smile fixed but her eyes cold
behind her Tom loomed in the doorway his presence heavy and oppressive Mark stood between them already nodding along to whatever renovation plans his mother was spinning the paper crinkled in my fist as I stood my grandfather's words burned in my mind and suddenly the house didn't feel quite so empty anymore it felt like a battle field and I had just been handed my first weapon actually Susan I said my voice steady despite my racing heart I think we should discuss what's going to happen in my house the emphasis on Ma made her smile flicker just
for a moment but it was enough to show me what lay beneath the perfect facade enough to make me understand exactly what my grandfather had been warning me about 3 weeks into living in my grandfather's house and already the walls felt like they were closing in I I sat at my laptop in the study trying to focus on quarterly reports while Susan's voice drifted up from downstairs directing the renovation crew she'd hired without consulting me those Crown moldings simply must go she announced we're going for a more modern aesthetic my fingers tightened on the mouse
more modern meant erasing every trace of my grandfather piece by piece the sound of splintering wood made me wince Rebecca Mark appeared in the doorway loosening his I why are you working up here the Wi-Fi is better in the living room the living room's full of dust and your mother's opinions I said keeping my eyes on the screen I have a deadline he sighed that particular sigh the one that meant I was being difficult again you know I've been thinking maybe it's time to consider scaling back at work this house needs attention and Mom can't
handle everything herself I turned slowly scaling back just temporarily we could start a family focus on making this place ours he gestured around the study we could convert this into a nursery the room spun slightly Mark I'm up for junior partner next year we talked about this that was before the house before we had real responsibilities he perched on the edge of the desk his voice softening Mom's right you can't have everything the words hit like a slap I stood up needing space but he caught my wrist where are you going to get coffee I
need to think Mom just made a fresh pot downstairs I'm going out I pulled free grabbing my keys the local coffee shop was My Sanctuary the only place that still felt like mine dck my coworker was already at our usual table spreadsheets spread out before him you look like you've seen a ghost he said as I collapsed into the chair more like my future disappearing I recounted Mark's suggestion my hands shaking as I clutched my coffee Derek leaned back his expression carefully neutral you know what this reminds me of remember Janet from accounting the one
who quit last year her husband started the same way small suggestions about cutting back spending more time at home 6 months later she's a housewife with no access to their joint accounts my stomach lurched Mark wouldn't maybe not intentionally but his mother Derek raised an eyebrow you've mentioned how she treats you back at the house I found Susan rearranging my grandfather's books into colorcoded sections oh darling she said not looking up Mark told me about your little career crisis It's Perfectly Natural to feel overwhelmed there is no crisis I said and those books need to
stay where they are she turned her smile sharp as a blade Rebecca dear you can't cling to the Past forever change is inevitable she held up my grandfather's first edition Dickens some things simply don't fit anymore that night I lay awake listening to Mark breathed beside me on my phone I pulled up the photo I'd taken of my grandfather's letter the truth is in the walls he'd written what truth what had he seen in Susan and Tom that I was only starting to glimpse a floorboard creaked outside our room through the crack under the door
I saw Shadows moving Susan's distinctive silhouette pausing before continuing down the hall toward the study I slipped out of bed following silently the study door was a jar and inside Susan was running her hands along the wood paneling searching for something looking for anything specific I asked she Whirled around composure cracking for just a moment before her mask slipped back into place checking for termites dear This Old House has so many Secrets yes I said thinking of the letter it does as she brushed past me her perfume cloying in the darkness I realized Derek was
right this wasn't about renovation or family or tradition this was about control and somewhere in these walls my grandfather had left me the key to fighting back I just had to find it before Susan did the moving truck appeared at dawn I watched from my study window as Susan directed the workers her voice carrying through the morning air like a drill Sergeant's command two weeks of temporary stays at nearby hotels had morphed into this a full invasion it's just until their house renovations are done Mark had said last night 3 months tops 3 months the
words tasted like acid in my mouth my phone buzzed a text from Emily coffee you sound like you need rescue can't quarterly review presentation in 2 hours since when do you miss morning meetings Susan's voice made me jump she stood in the doorway perfectly quaffed despite the early hour I thought we agreed you'd cut back we didn't agree to anything I said Gathering my laptop and I have to go Mark mentioned you've been resistant to changes she stepped into the room closing the door behind her you know my dear sometimes we have to sacrifice our
little hobbies for the greater good of the family my career a hobby I gripped my laptop tighter I have a meeting Rebecca her hand caught my arm as I tried to pass you're making this harder than it needs to be Tom and I only want what's best for our son the unspoken message hung between us I wasn't it Tom appeared in the hallway his silence more threatening than Susan's words he'd barely spoken 10 sentences to me since the wedding but his disapproval radiated like heat from a furnace the movers need direction about the master bedroom
he said I froze the master bedroom well you and Mark hardly use it properly Susan said all those late nights at the office Tom and I thought no the word came out sharp enough to make them both blink that room stays as it is Susan's smile tightened Mark already agreed of course he had I pushed past them nearly running down the stairs Mark stood in the foyer supervising movers carrying his parents antique furniture you gave away our bedroom my voice cracked mom and dad need the space he said not meeting my eyes we can take
the guest room it's coia anyway coia I repeated like this house isn't mine anymore like I'm the guest don't be dramatic they family and what am I he finally looked at me his expression a perfect mirror of his mother's condescending concern you're being his hysterical we can discuss this later I was late to the meeting Derek covered for me but I barely heard the presentation through the Roaring in my ears during lunch I escaped to the bathroom and found myself staring at my reflection wondering when I'd become so transparent that people could look right through
me my phone buzzed again Emily found something interesting about your in-laws call me I called her from my car what is it remember how you mentioned Susan's obsession with your grand grandfather's house I did some digging turns out she lived there as a kid her family rented from your grandfather until he evicted them the phone nearly slipped from my hand what there's more the eviction happened right after your grandfather caught them trying to claim adverse possession they were planning to take the House suddenly Susan's midnight wandering made sense she wasn't checking for termites she was
searching for evidence for whatever my grandfather had hidden in the walls when I got home the master bedroom had been transformed Susan's Barack Furniture dominated the space Family Photos none including me lined the walls and my grandfather's reading chair was nowhere to be seen we moved your things to the guest room Susan said from behind me much more appropriate don't you think I turned to face her in the fading light I caught something in her expression not just Triumph but hunger this wasn't just about control was Revenge decades in the making how long have you
been planning this I asked her smile faltered for just a moment planning what dear to take back what was never yours The Mask slipped entirely then just for a second and I saw the truth of her the bitter teenager who'd lost her home the manipulative mother who'd groomed her son to be her weapon the woman who'd waited 30 years to claim what she thought she deserved be careful Rebecca she said Softly houses like this have a way of rejecting people who don't belong I thought of my grandfather's letter of the secrets in the walls yes
I said they do the study walls had started talking to me not in the way that would warrant a psychological evaluation but in Whispers of paper and ink I'd spent three nights searching after everyone went to bed following my grandfather's cryptic clue behind loose panels tucked into Hollow spaces I found his journals Decades of them my hands trembled as I read the latest entry by flashlight Susan's father threatened legal action today claims adverse possession after 5 years of rental payments the man's always been a schemer but this using his teenage daughter as a porn a
floorboard creaked outside I switched off the light holding my breath still working Mark's voice carried concern but something else lurked beneath it it's past midnight just finishing up I slipped the journal under some papers quarter end you know how it is he stepped into the room his shadow stretching across the floor mom mentioned you've been distant lately spending a lot of time in here did she I kept my voice neutral how thoughtful of her to notice she's trying Rebecca we all are he perched on the desk too close to the hidden Journal maybe if you
made more of an effort like giving up our bedroom his jaw tightened that's not fair no I said quietly it's not the next morning I arrived at work early needing space to think Derek was already there reviewing files you look like hell he said thanks listen I need a favor I handed him a USB drive can you look into some property records specifically any legal disputes involving my grandfather's house from the80s he raised an eyebrow found something interesting in those walls maybe everything by lunch my phone buzzed with his findings I read them in the
bathroom my heart pounding court documents restraining orders police reports Susan's father hadn't just tried to steal the house he'd threatened my grandfather's life and Susan Susan had been his willing accomplice not just a teenage porn when I got home the house felt different heavier Tom was in the living room watching me with those cold eyes that never seemed to Blink Susan's looking for you he said something about missing Family Photos the master bedroom I found her there methodically going through drawers my drawers the ones I hadn't fully emptied yet oh Rebecca her smile was razor
sharp I was just organizing you left such a mess like the mess your father made the words slipped out before I could stop them 30 years ago the photo album in her hands dropped for a moment her mask cracked completely showing something dark and desperate underneath you don't know what you're talking about I know everything I stepped closer the lawsuit the threats how you helped him try to steal my grandfather's home we deserved this house her voice shook your grandfather was a cruel man who who caught you planting false evidence who stopped you from destroying
his life she moved so fast I barely saw it coming her hand caught my wrist Nails digging in you're just like him self-righteous ungrateful this house should have been ours Susan Mark stood in the doorway watching us with wide eyes what are you doing she released me instantly tears welling up oh darling your wife she's been saying such horrible things making wild accusations about the past I watched my husband's face saw him wrestling with what he'd witnessed versus what he wanted to believe for a moment I thought he might actually see the truth then his
mother started crying Rebeca he said his voice hard I think you should leave take some time to calm down leave I looked between them my husband's rigid stance Susan's triumphant tears Tom's looming presence in the the hallway this is my house is it Susan's whisper carried across the room for how long that night I sat in the study again surrounded by my grandfather's journals one passage stood out they think walls can't talk can't reveal their secrets but this house knows and someday so will someone else I touched the wall feeling its solid presence my grandfather
hadn't just left me a house he'd left me ammunition now I just had to figure out how to use it my phone lit up with a text from Emily found something big meet me tomorrow don't tell anyone I looked at the journals then at the door separating me from my Invaders tomorrow the real war would begin Emily slid a manila envelope across the coffee shop table you need to see this it's not just about the house anymore inside were bank statements property records s and a series of emails between Susan and my husband my hands
went cold as I read them they're trying to declare you mentally unfit Emily said quietly Susan's been Consulting with lawyers Mark's given them power of attorney over your inheritance the coffee turned to acid in my stomach when two days ago I thought of Mark's concerned looks Susan's theatrical tears Tom's watchful presence all of it orchestrated building a case against me me the walls weren't just closing in they were about to crush me entirely back at the house I found Susan rearranging my grandfather's study again books sorted into boxes papers scattered across the floor just organizing
she said not looking up you've let things get so cluttered lately Mark's worried about you you know we all are I'm sure you are I moved to my desk carefully placing my grandfather's journals in my bag while her back was turned where is Mark meeting with lawyer just routine estate matters her smile was practiced concern you've seemed so overwhelmed lately we want to help take some of the burden off your shoulders like you helped my grandfather she stiffened that was different was it I pulled out my phone playing the recording I'd made of our last
confrontation her voice filled the room confessing to her past schemes the color drained from her face you recorded me insurance I stepped closer did you really think I'd let you take everything without a fight you don't understand what you're doing her voice shook Mark will never believe you over me he knows how unstable you've become does he know about the restraining order the police reports those records were sealed not anymore she lunged for my bag but I was faster Tom appeared in the doorway drawn by the commotion everything all right his quiet Menace filled the
room perfect I said matching his tone Susan was just learning about digital archives in public records that evening I waited in the kitchen until Mark came home he looked tired guilty rough day I asked sliding him a glass of wine just work stuff he wouldn't meet my eyes listen mom mentioned you were upset earlier about the power of attorney he Rose whine halfway to his lips how did you know you were trying to steal my inheritance I pulled out copies of the documents Emily had found funny thing about law firms they always keep records it's
not like that he set down the glass we're worried about you the late nights the paranoia the accusations against mom your mother tried to steal this house 30 years ago now she's trying again using you stop it his voice cracked just stop you need help Rebecca professional help you're right I stood up I do need help that's why I called a lawyer this afternoon and filed for divorce the silence that followed was deafening upstairs a door opened Susan no doubt listening you can't do this Mark whispered I already have I pulled out one final document
a temporary restraining order you Susan and Tom have 24 hours to leave after that the police get involved this is our home no my voice was steel this is my home and I'm done letting you take what's mine I walked out of the kitchen past Susan's shocked face on the stairs past Tom's looming shadow in the hallway in the study I closed and locked the door finally letting my hands shake my phone buzzed Derek got your email documents are safe in the cloud Emily says the security system will be installed tomorrow thanks I touched the
wall feeling its solid presence any word from the Historical Society they're thrilled apparently your grandfather's journals document Decades of local history they're offering to help preserve them I smiled thinking of Susan's face when she realized her past wasn't as buried as she thought one more thing Derek added that structural engineer you asked about he found something interesting behind the master bedroom walls something that might explain why your grandfather never renovated that room I looked at the old blueprints spread across my desk at the space marked in red that didn't quite match The house's Dimensions I'll
be there first thing tomorrow I said it's time to see what else these walls are hiding the structural engineer Hammer cracked through the master bedroom wall revealing a hidden space exactly where the blueprint suggested inside wrapped in yellowed plastic sat a metal lock box don't touch anything else I said pulling on gloves this needs to be Doc dou umented that's when the front door slammed Susan's voice carried upstairs sharp with Triumph they're here in the master bedroom heavy footsteps on the stairs two police officers appeared in the doorway followed by Mark and his parents that's
her Susan said tears already flowing breaking down walls destroying property she's completely unstable the older officer stepped forward Mom we have a court order requiring you to vacate the premises what I clutched the lockbox this is my house I have the deed have your husband has power of attorney the officer said the courts determined you need psychiatric evaluation Mark wouldn't meet my eyes it's for your own good Rebecca the lockbox was wrenched from my hands Tom passed it to Susan who cradled it like a long lost child you can't do this my voice sounded distant
strange the restraining order has been superseded Susan said softly you poor confused thing imagining conspiracies making wild accusations just like your grandfather at the end the words hit like physical blows what did you say about my grandfather he had episodes too she continued paranoid delusions that's why he changed his will so suddenly giving everything to you we tried to help him but you're lying but but doubt crept in had there been signs I'd missed had my grandfather's cryptic warnings been something else entirely the officer took my arm please come with us mom don't make this
harder than it needs to be I looked at Mark searching for any sign of the man I'd married he stared at the floor a puppet with cut strings the journals I said the recordings Fabrications Susan interrupted part of your breakdown the doctors will help you understand Emily appeared in the doorway breathless stop I have the original documents the police reports the restraining order from 30 years ago arrest her for trespassing Susan said calmly the Second Officer moved toward Emily but she stood her ground the Historical Society has copies everything's been documented Susan's composure cracked just
for a moment her fingers tightened on the lock box open it I said open it right now in front of everyone don't be ridiculous open it or I'll tell them what really happened the night my grandfather died the room went silent Tom's hand clamped down on Susan's shoulder but she Shrugged it off you know nothing she hissed I know you visited him that night I know about the argument the Historical Society found Witnesses Susan's hands shook as she tried the lock when it wouldn't open she looked at Tom break it she whispered the lock box
cracked open under Tom's Force inside lay a single envelope and a micro cassette recorder play it I told the officers please just play it the tape crackled to life and my grandfather's voice filled the room if you're hearing this Susan came back just like I knew she would the house was never enough she wanted to destroy everything including my reputation but I knew I kept records the real will is with my lawyer along with evidence of every threat every scheme Susan if you're listening you should have learned these walls don't just hold Secrets they reveal
them Susan lunged for the recorder but Emily was faster the envelope revealed photos Susan arguing with my grandfather Tom lurking in the background documents being burned in the garden you did try to have him declared incompetent I said but he was ready for you and so was I the older officer released my arm mom I think we need to review these allegations this proves nothing Susan snarled but her mask had shattered completely I looked at Mark who finally met my gaze in his eyes I saw the moment he realized what his parents truly were and
what he'd almost helped them do get out I said quietly all of you the historical society's lawyers will be in touch as they left Susan paused in the doorway this isn't over you're right I replied it's just beginning the walls seemed to Exhale as they departed releasing 30 years of held Secrets but Susan was right about one thing it wasn't over the real war was just beginning and this time I had my grandfather's weapons to fight it the historical society's Gala buzzed with conversation crystal glasses clinking beneath chandeliers I stood at the podium my grandfather's
journals displayed behind protective glass nearby watching Susan and Tom enter the ballroom they hadn't seen me yet ready Emily squeezed my arm I nodded touching the USB drive in my pocket is everything in place Derek's got the tech covered screens are ready Susan spotted me then her perfectly composed smile faltered for just a moment before she steered Tom toward the far Corner Mark trailed behind them looking lost in his tailored suit I stepped up to the microphone thank you all for coming tonight we're here to celebrate the preservation of local history specifically the Morrison house
papers Susan's head snapped up At The Mention Of My Grandfather's home I continued these documents tell a story of preservation perseverance and justice but they also tell another story one of manipulation fraud and attempted theft the room quieted on Q the screens lit up with archived photographs Susan's father threatening my grandfather documentation of their scheme the falsified papers they tried to use for adverse possession some of you may recognize faces in these images I said some of you may even have helped cover up what happened 30 years ago Tom started moving toward the exit but
security blocked the door Susan remained Frozen her face a mask of Fury but the most interesting Discovery I continued was what we found last week the screens changed to show recent bank transfers legal documents psychiatric evaluations all dated within the past month a repeated pattern I said the same attempt at theft just with different tactics different victims lies Susan's voice cut through the silence she's unstable just like her grandfather actually a new voice interrupted Dr Richards my grandfather's former physician stood up I have James Morrison's complete medical records here he was perfectly sound of mind
when he made his will the only instability was the stress caused by certain individual's harassment Susan's composure cracked she lunged toward the podium but Tom caught her arm you're just like him she hissed self-righteous thinking you deserve everything while we got nothing that house should have been mine my father built it your father was the contractor I corrected who tried to bankrupt my grandfather during construction who attempted to force him to sell through fraudulent leans we made that house what it is her voice Rose hysterically well we lived there cared for it you were tenants
I said quietly who tried to steal what wasn't yours twice Mark stepped forward then looking between his mother and me is it true he asked her did you try to have Rebecca committed just to get the house Susan's laugh was brittle everything I did was for you to give you what should have been yours I never wanted the house Mark interrupted I wanted a marriage that wasn't poisoned by your obsession the room had gone completely still Susan's carefully constructed world was crumbling and everyone could see it the Historical Society I announced is establishing the Morrison
house as a protected Landmark it can never be sold or transferred it will remain exactly what my grandfather intended a testament to truth and Justice Susan's mask shattered completely you think you've won you think this is over she pulled something from her purse papers trembling in her grasp I still have proof of your grandfather's crimes things that would destroy his precious Legacy actually Emily stepped forward holding up her phone you just confessed to Blackmail in front of 50 Witnesses the papers fell from Susan's hands Tom's face had gone gray they both knew they carefully constructed
scheme had finally irrevocably failed as security LED them out Mark approached the podium Rebecca he started but I held up my hand the divorce papers are with my lawyer I said along with evidence of your involvement in their scheme he nodded shoulders slumping I know I'll sign them he paused at the door for what it's worth I'm sorry I should have seen them for what they were yes I said you should have the room slow returned to normal conversations resuming but something had fundamentally shifted the walls of Lies had finally crumbled leaving only truth in
their wake I touched my grandfather's Journal displayed under glass his words had finally brought Justice not just for him but for everyone who'd ever been manipulated by Susan's toxic need for control the house would stand as a testament to that Victory and so would I the last moving truck pulled way leaving only Emily and me in the driveway inside the house felt different lighter somehow as if Decades of Secrets had finally lifted from its walls found something else Emily said holding up a Dusty envelope from the last box we'd cleared from Susan and Tom's Hasty
departure it was tucked behind the master bedroom baseboards inside was a faded photograph Susan as a teenager standing proudly in front of the house on the back in my grandfather's handri writing Susan's 16th birthday she loved this house more than anyone if only that love hadn't turned to poison my phone buzzed Derek Susan and Tom just left the historical society's office signed everything over no contest and Mark divorce papers are filed he's not fighting it I hung up studying the photograph you know what's strange in a way Susan did love this house she just never
understood the difference between love and possession Emily touched the wall tracing the fresh paint where we'd sealed up the hidden spaces what are you going to do with all of it the journals the evidence display them I said the historical society is creating an exhibit about property rights and Justice in the early days of the Town seems fitting the doorbell rang through the beveled glass I recognized Mark's silhouette when I opened the door he looked smaller somehow diminished without his parents presence I found this this he said holding out a small box in Mom's things
I think it belongs here inside was a key old or Nate matching nothing I'd seen in the house with it was a note in Susan's handwriting the key to happiness is accepting what was never yours she wrote it this morning Mark said quietly before they left town I studied the key its worn edges suggesting Decades of use did she say anything else just that she finally understood what your grandfather meant about the house knowing its true owner he shifted uncomfortably I should go the moving company will be at my new place soon after he left
Emily and I walked through the house touching walls that had witnessed so much drama so many secrets in the study my grandfather's presence felt strongest look at this Emily called from behind his desk she'd found a hidden panel perfectly sized for the mysterious key the lock turned smoothly revealing a small compartment inside lay a single sheet of paper not my grandfather's writing this time but Susan's dated 30 years ago dear James I understand now the house wasn't just walls and windows to you it was a testament to standing your ground to fighting for what's right
I chose wrong I let greed poison everything even my son's future maybe someday someone will read this and understand some things can't be taken only earned some victories come not from winning but from Letting Go she'd never sent it and I placed the letter in the display case with my grandfather's journals another piece of The house's complex history above the case hung his portrait his eyes seeming to twinkle with that familiar mix of wisdom and Mischief you knew didn't you I whispered you knew she'd come back trying Cy again that's why you left all the
breadcrumbs Emily touched my shoulder what now I looked around the study no longer just a room but a sanctuary of Truth and Justice now we make sure the house keeps telling its story not just about revenge or Victory but about the price of obsession about learning when to fight and when to let go through the window I watched the sunset paint the garden gold the garden where Susan had once burned evidence where her father had threatened my grandfather where Decades of drama had played out tomorrow the historical society would begin cataloging everything preserving The house's
lessons for future Generations but tonight in the quiet aftermath of Victory I felt something unexpected not Triumph but peace the walls had protected their secrets until the right moment just as my grandfather had protected the truth now those same walls would stand guard over a different kind of Legacy one built not on possession or control but on Justice and understanding the house had chosen its keeper and this time the choice would stand
