Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-06
CHAPTER XII.

Within the span OF an exceedingly bad
quarter OF an hour for Sally the cat was
completely out of the bag, the fat as IRE
| trievably in the fire: Sally was out oi
breath and In tears OF penltence and de.
| spair; Mrs. Gosnold was out of her chair,
thought fully pacing to and fro, and in
| full possession of all facts materially
hearing upon the translation of S. Man
| vers of the hardware notions into s.
Manwarlng Of the Golden Destiny.
| No vital detail had escaped her pene-
trntins probe; she proved herself past
| mistress In the art of cross-eXamination,
and found in Sally a willing witness.
For the latter. however. It had seemed
less giving of testimony than a hysteric
confessional. She had wrung her con-
science dry. deriving from the act a
! sort of awful joy mltigated by the one re-
gret: that she had not more to confess,
that the mystery OF her favorng must
remain mystery, which, with all the
goodwill In the world. no word of hers
could elucidate.
AS for the secret history of last nights
dark transactions, however that was not
altogether hers to disclose. The interests
and affairs OF others were involved, she
dared not guess how disastrousy; she
was only sensitive to tho feeling that
something black and foul and hideous
skulSed behind that shut door Heaven
forfend that hers should be the hand to
open II and let ruin loose upon this pleas
ant world of Gosnold House
II seemed incumbent upon her to eX-
plain that Mrs. Standish had brought to
her room a jewel-case for Sally to hide
or otherwise dispose of. Beyond this she
feared to 90. She would not mention
Lyttleton or Trego or the yacht, or the
window of the signals.
In the end, stopping tears and sobs az
best she might, she waited listlcssly her
sentence of expulsion. Now nothing mat
tered; If her heart was lighter, her future
was darker; and presently the nobody
that she was would return into that drab
nowhere whence some ill-wind OF chance
had waited her.
Don't he n fool" Mrs. Gosnold coun-
seled her abruptly with unwontcd brusque-
ness. do you really think I'm capable
OF batting trap for you with fair words
and flattery for the sheer, inhuman pleas
ure of seeing YOU suffer until choose TO
set you adrift7 See how you've upset me
already: metaphor Is never safe in a
Woman's hands, but I'm seldom as bad
as all that"
Sally snifhed abJectly. "I'm willing TO
do anything"
you've done enough. Be content. If
1t were not for you and what you've been
able to tell me, I'd Well. no matter;
] don't know what I'd do. As it is
Look here!"
She paused in front of Sally, dropped
one hand kindly on the girls shoulder.
with the other lifted her chin. explor-
ing her tear-wet eyes with a gaze at once
charitable and discriminating.
"IVe taken fancy to you, if you are
a bit of an idiot. And l believe implicitly
every word you've uttered. Perhaps 7
oughtn't to. and I probably wouldn't il
your account of yourself didn't chime 50
exactly with what know about NV duti-
full niece and nephew But, you see.
do know them, and very well-and that
they're quite capable of all you say, and
more TO boot. Adele Standish in espeCial
l know far too well TO believe for an in
stant she'd burden herself with benevo-
lent intentions toward another woman |
without expecting to reap some wildly
inadequate reward. That's all that both
ers me- | can't understand what they !
wanted with you. But I'm not going TO |
let my mystifcatlon lose me the services |
of promising amanuenss-not in these |
days. when intelligence is scarce and far
to seek"
DO you mean I'm to stay?" Sally |
gasped incredulously.
Most assuredly I mean you're to STAY. |
Why not? You're modest and well-man- |
nered, and you've got too much sense IN |
If you're wicked enough to want to. |
which / don't believe. No; as far as |
you're concerned, your position here is
far more firmly established now than an
hour ago, when everything was against
my liking you-in spite of the fact that [ |
your loyalty to those
hopeless ingrates"
She fumed in silence for a moment. "I
could have forgiven almost anything-but |
this! The insolence of It! To dare pic |
ture me to your-or anybody-as a silly |
old fool of a woman without the wit to |
protect herself from being fleeced by n |
gang of adventurers. My friends!" she |
broke off with a snort of superindIgna- |
ton. my guests here a set OF rogues |
and vagabonds-and worse!"
She Topped into her chair with help
less "Oh, dear!' and began to laugh.
TITS too ridiculous!" she exclaimed. |
'If 1t ever got out, I'd almost be