This Monday morning Bub appeared at the Lodge1 and had the car ready before Mr. Conant had finished his breakfast. Mary Louise decided2 to drive to Millbank with them, just for the pleasure of the trip, and although the boy evidently regarded her presence with distinct disapproval4 he made no verbal objection.
As Irene wheeled herself out upon the porch to see them start, Mary
Louise called to her:
"Here's your chair cushion, Irene, lying on the steps and quite wet with dew. I never supposed you could be so careless. And you'd better sew up that rip before it gets bigger," she added, handing the cushion to her friend.
"I will," Irene quietly returned.
Bub proved himself a good driver before they had gone a mile and it pleased Mr. Conant to observe that the boy made the trip down the treacherous5 mountain road with admirable caution. Once on the level, however, he "stepped on it," as he expressed it, and dashed past the Huddle6 and over the plain as if training for the Grand Prix.
It amused Mary Louise to watch their quaint7 little driver, barefooted and in blue-jeans and hickory shirt, with the heavy Scotch8 golf cap pulled over his eyes, taking his task of handling the car as seriously as might any city chauffeur9 and executing it fully10 as well.
"Do you remember our referring to an old letter, the other day?" she asked.
"Yes," said he.
"Irene found it in one of those secondhand books you bought in New
"The deuce it did!" he exclaimed, evidently startled by the information.
"What did it say?" he demanded, rather eagerly for the unemotional lawyer.
"I don't know. Irene wouldn't let me read it."
"Wouldn't, eh? That's odd. Why didn't you tell me of this before I left the Lodge?"
"I didn't think to tell you, until now. And, Uncle Peter, what, do you think of Miss Lord?"
"A very charming lady. What did Irene do with the letter?"
"I think she left it in the book; and—the book was stolen the very next day."
"Great Caesar! Who knew about that letter?"
"Miss Lord was present when Irene found the letter, and she heard Irene exclaim that it was all about my mother, as well as about my grandfather."
"Miss Lord?"
"Yes."
"And the book was taken by someone?"
"Huh!"
He rode for awhile in silence.
"Really," he muttered, as if to himself, "I ought to go back. I ought not to take for granted the fact that this old letter is unimportant. However, Irene has read it, and if it happened to be of value I'm sure the girl would have told me about it."
"Yes, she certainly would have told you," agreed Mary Louise. "But she declared that even I would not be interested in reading it."
"That's the only point that perplexes me," said the lawyer.
"Just—that—one—point."
"Why?" asked the girl.
But Mr. Conant did not explain. He sat bolt upright on his seat, staring at the back of Bub's head, for the rest of the journey. Mary Louise noticed that his fingers constantly fumbled15 with the locket on his watch chain.
As the lawyer left the car at the station he whispered to Mary Louise:
"Tell Irene that I now know about the letter; and just say to her that I consider her a very cautious girl. Don't say anything more. And don't, for heaven's sake, suspect poor Miss Lord. I'll talk with Irene when I return on Friday."
On their way back Bub maintained an absolute silence until after they had passed the Huddle. Before they started to climb the hill road, however, the boy suddenly slowed up, halted the car and turned deliberately16 in his seat to face Mary Louise.
"Bein' as how you're a gal17," said he, "I ain't got much use fer ye, an' that's a fact. I don't say it's your fault, nor that ye wouldn't 'a' made a pass'ble boy ef ye'd be'n borned thet way. But you're right on one thing, an' don't fergit I told ye so: thet woman at Bigbee's ain't on the square."
"How do you know?" asked Mary Louise, delighted to be taken into Bub's confidence—being a girl.
"The critter's too slick," he explained, raising one bare foot to the cushion beside him and picking a sliver18 out of his toe. "Her eyes ain't got their shutters19 raised. Eyes're like winders, but hers ye kain't see through. I don't know nuth'n' 'bout14 that slick gal at Bigbee's an' I don't want to know nuth'n'. But I heer'd what ye said to the boss, an' what he said to you, an' I guess you're right in sizin' the critter up, an' the boss is wrong."
With this he swung round again and started the car, nor did he utter another word until he ran the machine into the garage.
During Mary Louise's absence Irene had had a strange and startling experience with their beautiful neighbor. The girl had wheeled her chair out upon the bluff20 to sun herself and read, Mrs. Conant being busy in the house, when Agatha Lord strolled up to her with a smile and a pleasant "good morning."
"I'm glad to find you alone," said she, seating herself beside the wheeled chair. "I saw Mr. Conant and Mary Louise pass the Bigbee place and decided this would be a good opportunity for you and me to have a nice, quiet talk together. So I came over."
Irene's face was a bit disdainful as she remarked:
"I found the cushion this morning."
"What cushion do you refer to?" asked Agatha with a puzzled expression.
Irene frowned.
"Do you deny any knowledge of my chair cushion!"
"I do."
"I must accept your statement, of course. What do you wish to say to me, Miss Lord?"
"I would like to establish a more friendly understanding between us. You are an intelligent girl and cannot fail to realize that I have taken a warm interest in your friend Mary Louise Burrows23. I want to know more about her, and about her people, who seem to have cast her off. You are able to give me this information, I am sure, and by doing so you may be instrumental in assisting your friend materially."
"Who are you, Miss Lord?" she inquired.
"Your neighbor."
"Why are you our neighbor?"
"I am glad to be able to explain that—to you, in confidence. I am trying to clear the name of Colonel Weatherby from a grave charge—the charge of high treason."
"In other words, you are trying to discover where he is," retorted
Irene impatiently.
"No, my dear; you mistake me. It is not important to my mission, at present, to know where Colonel Weatherby is staying. I am merely seeking relevant information, such information as you are in a position to give me."
"I, Miss Lord?"
"Why should you attach any importance to that?"
"I was present, you will remember, when you discovered it. I marked your surprise and perplexity—your fear and uncertainty—as you glanced first at the writing and then at Mary Louise. You determined26 not to show your friend that letter because it would disturb her, yet you inadvertently admitted, in my hearing, that it referred to the girl's mother and—which is vastly more important—to her grandfather."
"Well; what then, Miss Lord?"
"Colonel Weatherby is a man of mystery. He has been hunted by Government agents for nearly ten years, during which time he has successfully eluded27 them. If you know anything of the Government service you know it has a thousand eyes, ten thousand ears and a myriad28 of long arms to seize its malefactors. It has not yet captured Colonel Weatherby."
"Why has he been hunted all these years?"
"He is charged, as I said, with high treason. By persistently29 evading30 capture he has tacitly admitted his guilt31."
"But he is innocent!" cried Irene indignantly.
Miss Lord seemed surprised, yet not altogether ill-pleased, at the involuntary exclamation32.
"Indeed!" she said softly. "Could you prove that statement?"
"Then why not do so and by restoring Mary Louise to her grandfather make them both happy?"
Irene sat silent, trapped.
"This is why I have come to you," continued Agatha, very seriously. "I am employed by those whose identity I must not disclose to sift35 this mystery of Colonel Weatherby to the bottom, if possible, and then to fix the guilt where it belongs. By accident you have come into possession of certain facts that would be important in unravelling36 the tangle37, but through your unfortunate affliction you are helpless to act in your own capacity. You need an ally with more strength and experience than yourself, and I propose you accept me as that ally. Together we may be able to clear the name of James J. Hathaway—who now calls himself Colonel James Weatherby—from all reproach and so restore him to the esteem38 of his fellow men."
"But we must not do that, even if we could!" cried Irene, quite distressed39 by the suggestion.
"Why not, my dear?"
The tone was so soft and cat-like that it alarmed Irene instantly. Before answering she took time to reflect. To her dismay she found this woman was gradually drawing from her the very information she had declared she would preserve secret. She knew well that she was no match for Agatha Lord in a trial of wits. Her only recourse must be a stubborn refusal to explain anything more.
"Colonel Weatherby," she said slowly, "has better information than I of the charge against him and his reasons for keeping hidden, yet he steadfastly40 refuses to proclaim his innocence41 or to prove he is unjustly accused, which he might very well do if he chose. You say you are working in his interests, and, allowing that, I am satisfied he would bitterly reproach anyone who succeeded in clearing his name by disclosing the truth."
This argument positively42 amazed Agatha Lord, as it might well amaze anyone who had not read the letter. In spite of her supreme43 confidence of the moment before, the woman now suddenly realized that this promising44 interview was destined45 to end disastrously46 to her plans.
"I am so obtuse47 that you will have to explain that statement," she said with assumed carelessness; but Irene was now on guard and replied:
"Then our alliance is dissolved. I do not intend, Miss Lord, to betray such information as I may have stumbled upon unwittingly. You express interest in Mary Louise and her grandfather and say you are anxious to serve them. So am I. Therefore I beg you, in their interests, to abandon any further attempt to penetrate48 the secret."
Agatha was disconcerted.
"Show me the letter," she urged, as a last resort. "If, on reading it, I find your position is justifiable—you must admit it is now bewildering—I will agree to abandon the investigation49 altogether."
"I will not show you the letter," declared the girl positively.
The woman studied her face.
"But you will consider this conversation confidential50, will you not?"
"Since you request it, yes."
"I do not wish our very pleasant relations, as neighbors, disturbed. I would rather the Conants and Mary Louise did not suspect I am here on any especial mission."
"Very well."
"In truth," continued Agatha, "I am growing fond of yon all and this is a real vacation to me, after a period of hard work in the city which racked my nerves. Before long I must return to the old strenuous51 life, so I wish to make the most of my present opportunities."
"I understand."
No further reference was made to the letter or to Colonel Weatherby. They talked of other things for a while and when Miss Lord went away there seemed to exist—at least upon the surface—the same friendly relations that had formerly52 prevailed between them.
Irene, reflecting upon the interview, decided that while she had admitted more than was wise she had stopped short of exposing the truth about Colonel Weatherby. The letter was safely hidden, now. She defied even Miss Lord to find it. If she could manage to control her tongue, hereafter, the secret was safe in her possession.
Thoughtfully she wheeled herself back to the den and finding the room deserted53 she ventured to peep into her novel hiding-place. Yes; the precious letter was still safe. But this time, in her abstraction, she failed to see the face at the window.
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1
lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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4
disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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huddle
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| vi.挤作一团；蜷缩；vt.聚集；n.挤在一起的人 | |
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7
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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9
chauffeur
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| n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车 | |
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10
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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11
conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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12
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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13
musingly
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| adv.沉思地，冥想地 | |
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bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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16
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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gal
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| n.姑娘，少女 | |
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sliver
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| n.裂片，细片，梳毛；v.纵切，切成长片，剖开 | |
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19
shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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20
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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riddles
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| n.谜（语）( riddle的名词复数 )；猜不透的难题，难解之谜 | |
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23
burrows
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| n.地洞( burrow的名词复数 )v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的第三人称单数 )；翻寻 | |
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24
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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25
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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27
eluded
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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28
myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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30
evading
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| 逃避( evade的现在分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出 | |
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31
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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32
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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33
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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avowal
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| n.公开宣称，坦白承认 | |
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35
sift
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| v.筛撒，纷落，详察 | |
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36
unravelling
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| 解开，拆散，散开( unravel的现在分词 )； 阐明； 澄清； 弄清楚 | |
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37
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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38
esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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40
steadfastly
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| adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝 | |
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41
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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42
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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43
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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44
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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45
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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46
disastrously
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| ad.灾难性地 | |
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47
obtuse
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| adj.钝的；愚钝的 | |
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48
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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49
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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50
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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51
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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52
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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53
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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