"This demise3 of Mrs. Burrows4," he said confidentially5 to his wife in the privacy of their room, "may have far-reaching results and turn the whole current of Colonel Weatherby's life."
"I don't see why," said Aunt Hannah.
"You're not expected to see why," he replied. "As the Colonel is my most important client, I must be at the office in case of developments or a sudden demand for my services. I will tell you one thing, however, and that is that this vacation at Hillcrest Lodge was planned by the Colonel while I was in New York, with the idea that he and Mrs. Burrows would come here secretly and enjoy a nice visit with Mary Louise."
"You planned all that, Peter!"
"Yes. That is, Weatherby planned it. He knows Will Morrison well, and
Will was only too glad to assist him; so they wired me to come to New
"Why didn't they come, then?"
"Two reasons prevented them. One was the sudden breaking of Mrs. Burrows' health; the other reason was the Colonel's discovery that in some way our carefully laid plans had become known to the detectives who are seeking him."
"Good gracious! Are you sure of that, Peter!"
"The Colonel seemed sure. He maintains a detective force on his own account and his spies discovered that Hillcrest is being watched by agents of the Secret Service."
"Dear me; what a maze9 of deceit!" wailed10 the good woman. "I wish you were well out of the whole affair, Peter; and I wish Mary Louise was out of it, too."
"So do I, with all my heart. But it's coming to a focus soon, Hannah.
Be patient and it may end better than we now fear."
So Bub drove Mr. Conant to Millbank and then the boy took the car to the blacksmith shop to have a small part repaired. The blacksmith made a bungle12 of it and wasted all the forenoon before he finally took Bub's advice about shaping it and the new rod was attached and found to work successfully.
It was after one o'clock when the boy at last started for home and on the way was hailed by a stranger—a little man who was trudging14 along the road with both hands thrust in his pockets.
"Going far?" he asked.
"Up th' mount'n to Hillcrest," said Bub.
"Oh. May I have a lift?"
"How fer?"
"Well, I can't say how far I'll go. I'm undecided. Just came out here for a little fresh air, you know, with no definite plans," explained the stranger.
Miss' Parsons she sometimes takes boarders."
"That's kind of her," remarked the stranger. "But the air isn't so good as further up the hill."
"Ef ye go up," said Bub with a grin, "guess ye'll hev to camp out an' eat scrub. Nobody don't take boarders, up th' mount'n."
"I suppose not."
He made no demand to be let out at the Huddle, so Bub drove on.
"By the way," said the little man, "isn't there a place called
Bigbee's, near here?"
"What sort of girls are they?"
"Sort o' queer."
"Yes?"
"Ye bet ye. Come from the city a while ago an' livin' by theyselves.
"In what way?" asked the little man in a tone of interest.
"They ain't here fer nuth'n' special 'cept watchin' the folks at Hillcrest. Them's the folks I belongs to. For four bits a week. They's someth'n' queer 'bout them, too; but I guess all the folks is queer thet comes here from the city."
"Quite likely," agreed the little man, nodding. "Let me out at Bigbee's, please, and I'll look over those women and form my own opinion of them. They may perhaps be friends of mine."
"In thet case," asserted Bub, "I pity ye, stranger. F'r my part, I ain't got no use fer anything thet wears skirts—'cept one er two, mebbe," he added reflectively. "Most men I kin8 git 'long with fust-rate; but ef a man ever gits in trouble, er begins cussin' an' acts ugly, it's 'cause some gal's rubbed him crossways the grain er stuck a knife in him an' twisted the blade—so's ter speak."
"You're an observant lad, I see."
"When I'm awake I kain't help seein' things."
"And you're a pastoral philosopher."
"What's the use firin' thet high-brow stuff at me?" he asked indignantly. "I s'pose ye think I'm a kid, jes' 'cause I don't do no fancy talkin'."
"I suspect you of nothing but generosity18 in giving me this ride," said the stranger pleasantly. "Is that Bigbee's, over yonder?"
"Yes."
The little man got out at the point where the Bigbee drive met the road, and walked up the drive toward the house. Agatha Lord was standing19 at the gateway20, as he approached it, and seemed rather startled at his appearance. But she quickly controlled her surprise and asked in a calm voice, as she faced him:
"What's up, O'Gorman?"
"Hathaway's coming here," he said.
"Are you sure?"
"He's in Dorfield to-day, waiting to see Lawyer Conant, who went in on the morning train. Where's Nan?"
"Here, my lord!" said Nan Shelley, stepping from behind a tall shrub21. "How are you, partner? I recognized you as you passed the Huddle with the boy."
"Field glasses, eh? There isn't much escapes you, Nan."
"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Agatha reproachfully.
"Why don't you make your own discoveries?" retorted her confederate.
Then, turning to O'Gorman, she continued: "So Hathaway's coming, is he?
At last."
"A little late, but according to program. How have you been getting along?"
"Bored to death," asserted Nan. "Agatha has played the lady and I've done the dirty work. But tell me, why didn't you nab Hathaway at Dorfield?"
O'Gorman smiled a little grimly as he answered:
"I'm not sure, Nan, that we shall nab Hathaway at all."
"Isn't he being shadowed?" with some surprise.
"No. But he'll come here, right enough; and then—"
"And then," she added, as he paused, "the chase of years will come to an end."
"Exactly. We may decide to take him to Washington, and we may not."
She gazed at him inquiringly.
"There are some new developments, then, O'Gorman?"
"I'm inclined to suspect there are."
"Known to the department?"
"I see. Then Agatha and I are out of it?"
"Not yet; I'm still depending on your shrewdness to assist me. The office has only had a hint, so far, of the prospective23 break in the case, but—"
"Oh, yes; I remember now," exclaimed Nan.
"That girl up at Conant's sent a telegram, in a desperate hurry. I suspected it meant something important. Who is she, O'Gorman, and why did the Chief cut under us by planting Sarah Judd in the Conants' household?"
"He didn't. The girl has nothing to do with the Department."
"Then some of you intercepted24 the telegram?"
"We know what it said," he admitted.
"Come, let's go to the house. I've had no lunch. Can you feed me?"
"Certainly." They turned and walked slowly up the path. Said Nan, musingly25: "That Sarah Judd is rather clever, O'Gorman. Is she in Hathaway's pay?"
Nan tossed her head indignantly.
"Very well; play me for a ninny, if you like," she said resentfully.
"You'll get a heap more out of me, in that way!"
"Now, now," said Agatha warningly, "keep your tempers and don't quarrel. You two are like cats and dogs when you get together; yet you're the two cleverest people in the service. According to your story, Mr. O'Gorman, there's an important crisis approaching, and we'd all like to be able to render a good account of ourselves."
Agatha Lord may have lacked something of Nan's experience, but this speech proved her a fair diplomat27. It dispersed28 the gathering29 storm and during the rest of that afternoon the three counseled together in perfect harmony, O'Gorman confiding30 to his associates such information as would enable them to act with him intelligently. Hathaway and Peter Conant could not arrive till the next day at noon; they might even come by the afternoon train. Nan's field glasses would warn them of the arrival and meanwhile there was ample time to consider how they should act.
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1
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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2
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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3
demise
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| n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让 | |
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4
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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5
confidentially
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| ad.秘密地，悄悄地 | |
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6
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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7
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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8
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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9
maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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10
wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11
hop
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| n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过 | |
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12
bungle
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| v.搞糟；n.拙劣的工作 | |
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13
bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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14
trudging
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的现在分词形式） | |
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15
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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16
gals
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| abbr.gallons （复数）加仑（液量单位）n.女孩，少女( gal的名词复数 ) | |
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17
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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19
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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20
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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21
shrub
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| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
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22
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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23
prospective
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| adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的 | |
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24
intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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25
musingly
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| adv.沉思地，冥想地 | |
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26
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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27
diplomat
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| n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人 | |
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28
dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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29
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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30
confiding
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| adj.相信人的，易于相信的v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的现在分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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