The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-12-14

1
Something has happened" she replied.
| There's thief in the house. / have
been robbed. Some one has stolen my
pendant-my diamond pendant"
Some one had stolen her diamond PEN
danti I do not know II the temperature
changed all at once, but do know that a
chill went all over me. Was that the ex-
PLANTATION? Could it possibly be- did
not care to carry even my thought to a
logical finish. stood there as IL !
were moonstruck. with Miss Goodridge
loking at me with angry eyes.
What is the matter with the child p
she asked. IT did not know you dark!
skinned girls could blush, but I declare
you've grown as red as a lobster"
Cant you speak2'' she demanded.
| Don't glare at me as II you'd committed
a murder. Any one would think that you
| had been robbed instead of me. I sup
pose you haven't stolen my pendant?"
"Oh. Miss Goodridgew repeated.
What is the matter with the girl?
You young wretch! Have you been play
ing any tricks with that pendant of
miner"
IL found it, stammered. 1 held
out to her my open hand with the PEN
dant on the palm.
"You-you found It? Found what7''
She looked at me and then at my out
stretched hand. MY pendant! She's got
my pendant" She snatched 1t from me.
| ''You-you young thief?'
II did find it found 1t in my bed
room"
Did you really? OF all the assurancei
Get out Of my wayi Don't you ever dare
to speak to me again"
She did not wait for me to get out
of her way; she gave me a push and
rushed past me. It was a polished floor;
| IL 1 had not come in contact with a
Fbig arm chair I should have tumbled on
it. My feelings when I was left alone In
| the lounge were not enviable. Still, as 1
knew that I was absolutely and entirely
innocent did not intend to behave as
IL were guilty. / went up to my room
again and dressed for dinner. I told my
self over and over again as I performed
my simple toilet that 1 would make Miss
Goodridge eat her words before she had
done, though at that moment I had not
the faintest notion how was going to
do it.
That was a horrid dinner-not from
the culinary, but from my point Of view.
After the meal was finished, at which
had eaten practically nothing, II / had
followed my own inclination I should
have gone straight upstairs to bed. But
that would have been equivalent to a
confession that ! had done something
which made it advisable that 1 should
hide myself from the public gaze, and
certainly was not going to do anything
on which such a construction might be
put. I had a feeling that people were
cycling me askance already, and. although
1 never once looked at her, I knew that
Miss Goodridge was glaring at me from
the beginning of the meal to the end
oil
CLEANED that diamond pendant
If the dinner was horrid, IN the lounge
afterward II was worse. Miss Sterndale
actually had the audacity to come up to
me and pretend TO play the part OF SYM
pathetic friend
was on the point OF giving an explain
alton which 1 think might-have startled
her when / happened to glance across
the room. At a table near the open win
down, Mr.. Srerndale was sitting with Miss
Goodridge. They were having coffee. AL
though Miss Goodridge was sitting side
ways, she continually turned her head to
watch me. Mr.. Sterndale was sitting d.
rectly facing me. He had a cigarette in
one hand, and every now and then he
slipped his coffee, but most Of the time he
talked. But, although could not even
hear the sound Of his voice, I saw what
he said as distinctly as IL he had been
he was uttering which caused me to defer
the explanation which had in my mind
to give to his sister.
"Of course, the girls a thief-Tm afraid
that goes without saying" 1t was that
sentence which was issuing from his lips
at the moment when CHANGED to glance
in his direction which caused the ex-
PLANTATION I had been about to make to
his sister to be deferred.
hod IAr |NNTa I'm.
to her mouth, so I could not see what
she said; but If I had been put to it I
might have made a very shrewd guess
by the reply he made.
IT'S all very well for you to talk. I
may have had my suspicious, but II is
only within the last hour or two that they
have been confirmed"
She said something which again I could
not see his reply suggested that she must
have asked a question.
III tell you what I mean by saying
that my doubts have been confirmed. A
man was passing through this afternoon
with whom 1 have some acquaintance-the
Rector of Leeds" I wonder he did not say
the Bishop of London. He saviour
friend" He made a slight inclination
Of his head toward me. "At sight OF her
he exclaimed: Halloa, there's that Bur-
nett girlr For a parson he has rather a
of your modern kind" I believed him.
" Burnett girl? said. But her names
Lee-Judith Lee oh, she calls herself
Lee now, does she? That settles it. Set
ties what? I asked, because I saw that
there was something in his tone. Ny
dear Reggie he said Che always calls me
Reggie; I've know him for years., at the
beginning of the season that girl whom.
you call Judith Lee was at Pontresina,
staying in the same hotel as was.
She called herself Burnett then. Rob-
berries were going on all the time, people
a Russian woman lost a valuable lot of
jewelry. That settled it-Miss Burnett
went"
Miss Goodridge turned so that her face
was hidden; but, as before, his reply
gave me a pretty good clue as to the
question she had asked.
"Of course mean 1t. Do you think ia
say a thing like that II didn't mean it?
I won't tell you all he said-it wouldn't
be quite fair. But II came to this. He
said that the young lady whom we have
all thought so sweet and innocent"
1 did not wait to hear further-I had
learned enough. What his sister thought
OF my demeanor I did not care; had
been dlmly conscious that she had been
talking to me all the while. but what she
was saying i do not know. Ny attention
lad been wholly taken up with what I
did not hear. got up from my chair
and marched out of the lounge. without
saying a word to Miss Sterndale. When
had gone a little way I remembered
that had left my handkerchief-my best
lace handkerchief-on the table by which