The Mystery at Dark Cedars. Lavell Edith

show them to her, did you?”

      “No, I didn’t. She found them while she was searching through my things this morning, to see whether I had her money hidden anywhere.”

      “That’s terrible!” exclaimed Jane. “Oh, how dreadful it must be to be all alone in the world, without anybody who trusts you!” Something of the same thought ran through Mary Louise’s brain at the same time.

      “Tell us just what has happened today, since we left,” urged Mary Louise. “Has anybody been here?”

      “No. Not a soul. But Aunt Mattie put me through a lot more questions at lunch, and afterward she gave my room a thorough search. When she found my new clothes, she was more sure than ever that I was the thief. She told me if I didn’t confess everything right away she’d have to change her mind and call the police.”

      “Did she call them?” demanded Jane.

      “Not yet. It’s lucky for me that she hasn’t a telephone. She said she guessed she’d send William after supper. So you can see how much it meant to me for you girls to come over now!”

      Mary Louise nodded gravely, and Jane blushed at her reluctance in wanting to come. If Elsie had gone to jail, it would have been their fault for giving her the clothing!

      “When can we see your aunt?” inquired Mary Louise.

      “Right now. I’ll go in and tell her. She’s out on the front porch, I think.”

      Elsie handed her pan to Hannah and went through the kitchen to the front of the house. She was back again in a moment, telling the girls to come with her.

      They found the old lady in her favorite rocking chair, with her knitting in her lap. But she was not working – just scowling at the world in general, and when Elsie came out on the dilapidated porch an expression of pain crossed her wrinkled brows. Whether it was real pain from that trouble in her side which she had mentioned, or whether it was only a miserly grief over the loss of her money, Mary Louise had no way of telling.

      “Good-afternoon, Miss Grant,” she said pleasantly. “How is your kitten today?”

      A smile crept over the woman’s face, making her much more pleasant to look at.

      “She’s fine,” she replied. “Come here, Puffy, and speak to the kind girls who rescued you yesterday!”

      The kitten ran over and jumped into Miss Grant’s lap.

      “She certainly is sweet,” said Mary Louise. She cleared her throat: why couldn’t the old lady help her out by asking her a question about the clothing?

      But Elsie, nervously impatient, brought up the subject they were all waiting for.

      “Tell Aunt Mattie about the dresses and the coat,” she urged.

      “Oh, yes,” said Mary Louise hastily. “Your niece told us, Miss Grant, that she never gets to Riverside to buy any new clothes, so when I noticed we were all three about the same size, Jane and I asked our mothers whether we couldn’t give her some of ours. They were willing, and so we brought them over this morning.”

      “Humph!” was the only comment Miss Grant made to this explanation. Mary Louise could not tell whether she believed her or not and whether she was pleased or angry.

      “You didn’t mind, did you, Miss Grant?” she inquired nervously.

      “No, of course not. Elsie’s mighty lucky… I only hope when she’s working as somebody’s maid that they’ll be as nice to her. It helps out, when wages are small. For nobody wants to pay servants much these days.”

      A lump came into Mary Louise’s throat at the thought of Elsie’s future, which Miss Grant had just pictured for them. She longed to plead the girl’s cause, but she knew it would do no good. Especially at the present time, with Miss Grant poorer than she had ever been in her life.

      The old lady’s eyes suddenly narrowed, and she looked sharply at Mary Louise.

      “See here!” she said abruptly. “You two girls are the only people besides those living in this house who know about this robbery, and I don’t want you to say a word of it to anybody! Understand? I don’t want the police in on this until I am ready to tell them. Or my other relatives, either. I expect to get that money back myself!”

      All three girls breathed a sigh of relief: it was evident that the police would not be summoned that evening. And both Mary Louise and Jane gave their promise of utmost secrecy.

      “But we’d like to help discover the thief, if we can,” added Mary Louise. “You don’t mind if we try, do you, Miss Grant – if it’s all on the quiet?”

      “No, I don’t mind. But I don’t see what you can do.” Miss Grant looked sharply at Elsie, as if she thought maybe her niece might confess to these girls while she stubbornly refused to tell her aunt anything. “Yes,” she added, “you might succeed where I failed… Yes, I’ll pay ten dollars’ reward if you get my money back for me.”