the compartment that it escaped notice when the other things were taken out to go to the bank."
"Yes, of course," said Eden. "I wish I knew just what those things were, the rest of the valuables. Somehow I never took much interest in them while Father was alive and while I was in college. I just thought of them as some old family relics. But I guess I ought to go down to the bank and look the rest over. Should I do it right away?"
"Don't worry yourself now. If Mr. Worden hasn't returned yet, I think I'll call him on the telephone. This is important, to get hold of the facts in the case before anything more can happen. If I get any more information, I'll call you."
And so with a smile and a quick friendly clasp of the hand he went away with Mike, and the household settled down to what they hoped was going to be peace and quietness.
Eden, standing at the window, watching the young lawyer walk down the street, thought how very kind his voice was and how restfully dependable he seemed. Of course, she didn't know him at all, but he seemed very nice, and she felt almost comfortable knowing that he was working to protect her interests.
Then Janet suddenly appeared on the scene.
"Coom ye oof an' heve yer loonch!" she commanded. "Ye hed niver a bite o' breakfast, an' verra little dinner the night before. We didna want ye to blow awa' wi' the first little breath of air."
"Oh," laughed Eden, "I didn't realize I hadn't had my breakfast. I was just so excited over what they were talking about. Isn't it awful that anybody tried to break in? Do you really think it was Ellery, Janet?"
"Think!" sniffed Janet. "I shud say there's na doubt about it. Little snake in the grass! I only wish he would be put where he couldna be botherin' the likes of ye ony mair. An' tae think of thet old sneak of a mither of his coomin' around sayin' she was goin' tae be yer chaperone! I sure would like tae see her bashed in the face the way Mike talks aboot dooin' tae soom of the criminals."
Eden laughed a merry little ripple of a relieved sigh.
"What did she say, Janet? Did she talk to you?"
"No, but Tabor give her gude an' plenty back agin. Her wi' her sham tears and her pretenses! But noo, coom ye out tae yer loonch. It's already settin' on the table, and the cook's fair frantic fer ye tae eat afore it gets cold. Coom noo, an' I'll tell ye the rest whilst ye eat."
So Eden went to her lunch and heard the full tale of Lavira Fane's attempt to get into the house earlier in the day.
"And where do you think she went?" asked Eden, with still a bit of trouble on her brow. "Will she try to come back here tonight, do you suppose, and plead that she hasn't any place to sleep?"
"Na, she'll nae do thet. Mike said he would see thet she was safely hoosed."
"You--don't mean they've arrested her, do you, Janet?"
Janet gave a significant shrug to her shoulders.
"I canna say what they've doon wi' her, but I'm certain they'd niver let her run at large. They've places tae keep people they don't troost, ye ken. Perfec'ly respectable places, thet is, so tae speak, where they can keep an eye on her, an' ef there ever was a wumman needed an eye kep' on her, that Fane wumman's the one."
"Well, I shouldn't like to be the cause of her going to jail," said Eden with a troubled look.
"Why not, ef it's the only place ither folks is safe from her? But don't ye fret, dear cheeld. Mike's a discerin' mon ef there iver was wan, an' he can be troosted. An' besides all this, don't ye know the law has ways of findin' oot aboot folks? He's likely, as he says, 'got a line' on her an' her crooked son, by this toime. An' ye see the matter is not in yer wee hands. It's the law has it in the noo, an' ye can't do onythin' aboot it."
"But maybe I ought to telephone Mike to get them to promise to go back West where they came from and we won't say anything more about it. Wouldn't Dad have wanted me to do that?"
"No, my leddy, he would niver want thet. He was allus fer joostice. A good
"Yes, of course," said Eden. "I wish I knew just what those things were, the rest of the valuables. Somehow I never took much interest in them while Father was alive and while I was in college. I just thought of them as some old family relics. But I guess I ought to go down to the bank and look the rest over. Should I do it right away?"
"Don't worry yourself now. If Mr. Worden hasn't returned yet, I think I'll call him on the telephone. This is important, to get hold of the facts in the case before anything more can happen. If I get any more information, I'll call you."
And so with a smile and a quick friendly clasp of the hand he went away with Mike, and the household settled down to what they hoped was going to be peace and quietness.
Eden, standing at the window, watching the young lawyer walk down the street, thought how very kind his voice was and how restfully dependable he seemed. Of course, she didn't know him at all, but he seemed very nice, and she felt almost comfortable knowing that he was working to protect her interests.
Then Janet suddenly appeared on the scene.
"Coom ye oof an' heve yer loonch!" she commanded. "Ye hed niver a bite o' breakfast, an' verra little dinner the night before. We didna want ye to blow awa' wi' the first little breath of air."
"Oh," laughed Eden, "I didn't realize I hadn't had my breakfast. I was just so excited over what they were talking about. Isn't it awful that anybody tried to break in? Do you really think it was Ellery, Janet?"
"Think!" sniffed Janet. "I shud say there's na doubt about it. Little snake in the grass! I only wish he would be put where he couldna be botherin' the likes of ye ony mair. An' tae think of thet old sneak of a mither of his coomin' around sayin' she was goin' tae be yer chaperone! I sure would like tae see her bashed in the face the way Mike talks aboot dooin' tae soom of the criminals."
Eden laughed a merry little ripple of a relieved sigh.
"What did she say, Janet? Did she talk to you?"
"No, but Tabor give her gude an' plenty back agin. Her wi' her sham tears and her pretenses! But noo, coom ye out tae yer loonch. It's already settin' on the table, and the cook's fair frantic fer ye tae eat afore it gets cold. Coom noo, an' I'll tell ye the rest whilst ye eat."
So Eden went to her lunch and heard the full tale of Lavira Fane's attempt to get into the house earlier in the day.
"And where do you think she went?" asked Eden, with still a bit of trouble on her brow. "Will she try to come back here tonight, do you suppose, and plead that she hasn't any place to sleep?"
"Na, she'll nae do thet. Mike said he would see thet she was safely hoosed."
"You--don't mean they've arrested her, do you, Janet?"
Janet gave a significant shrug to her shoulders.
"I canna say what they've doon wi' her, but I'm certain they'd niver let her run at large. They've places tae keep people they don't troost, ye ken. Perfec'ly respectable places, thet is, so tae speak, where they can keep an eye on her, an' ef there ever was a wumman needed an eye kep' on her, that Fane wumman's the one."
"Well, I shouldn't like to be the cause of her going to jail," said Eden with a troubled look.
"Why not, ef it's the only place ither folks is safe from her? But don't ye fret, dear cheeld. Mike's a discerin' mon ef there iver was wan, an' he can be troosted. An' besides all this, don't ye know the law has ways of findin' oot aboot folks? He's likely, as he says, 'got a line' on her an' her crooked son, by this toime. An' ye see the matter is not in yer wee hands. It's the law has it in the noo, an' ye can't do onythin' aboot it."
"But maybe I ought to telephone Mike to get them to promise to go back West where they came from and we won't say anything more about it. Wouldn't Dad have wanted me to do that?"
"No, my leddy, he would niver want thet. He was allus fer joostice. A good
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