CHAPTER XX

DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND

Tuesday afternoon Miss Lord's big touring car stood at the door of Hillcrest Lodge, for Agatha had invited the Conant party to ride with her to Millbank. Irene was tucked into the back seat in a comfortable position and beside her sat Mrs. Conant, who was going to make a few purchases at the village store. Mary Louise rode on the front seat with Agatha, who loved to drive her car and understood it perfectly.

When they drove away there was no one left in the house but Sarah Judd, the servant girl, who was washing the lunch dishes. Bub was in the shed- like garage, however, washing and polishing Will Morrison's old car, on which the paint was so cracked and faded that the boy's attempt to improve its appearance was a desperate one.

Sarah, through the kitchen window, watched Bub for a time rather sharply. Then she went out on the bluff and looked down in the valley. Miss Lord's big car was just passing the Huddle on its way up the valley.

Sarah turned and reentered the house. Her meek and diffident expression of countenance had quite disappeared. Her face now wore a look of stern determination and the blue eyes deepened and grew shrewd.

She walked straight to the den and without hesitation approached the farther wall and took from its pegs Will Morrison's fine hunting rifle. In the stock was a hollow chamber for cartridges, for the rifle was of the type known as a "repeater." Sliding back the steel plate that hid this cavity, Sarah drew from it a folded paper of a yellow tint and calmly spread it on the table before her. Then she laid down the rifle, placed a chair at the table and with absorbed attention read the letter from beginning to end--the letter that Irene had found in the book.

1. Who was the only person left in the house?
2. And who was she?
3. And what was she doing?
4. Where was Miss Lord's vehicle?
5. Of what location?
6. Did Agatha enjoy driving?
7. Did she have her own vehicle?
8. Where was Bub?
9. Doing what?
10. Whose car was it?
11. Was Bub having much luck improving the appearance of the car?
12. What had Miss Lord's vehicle just gone by?
13. Which leads to where?
14. What color eyes did Sarah have?
15. What was in the stock of the gun?
16. For holding what?
17. What kind of gun was it?
18. Was it called another name?
19. What was the color of the tint of the paper?
20. Who found the letter in the book?

Numbered answers:
1. Sarah Judd
2. the servant girl
3. washing dishes
4. at the door
5. Hillcrest Lodge
6. Yes
7. Yes
8. in the garage
9. washing and polishing a car
10. Will Morrison
11. No
12. the Huddle
13. the valley
14. blue
15. a hollow chamber
16. cartridges
17. rifle
18. a repeater
19. yellow
20. Irene