Part 27 (1/2)
”Sir, I demand an explanation for this outrageous treatment. Never before in my life have I been so abused and insulted!”
The manager had not spoken a word. He could only stare.
”Oh, Mr. Bartescue, this is all a mistake,” he said finally.
”A mistake!” George exclaimed indignantly. ”This man is a forger. I heard you say so yourself when you were talking in a telephone booth. Or at least I thought it was you.”
”It's not Martin Bartescue who is wanted for forgery,” the manager said.
”But the letters B-A-R-”
”They stand for Barney. One of our newly employed cooks, a man by the name of Jennings, forged a hundred-dollar check. He used the signature of Barney Milton, who is our caddy master. Mr. Bartescue had nothing whatever to do with the matter.”
George murmured in confusion, ”I shouldn't have acted so impulsively, only I thought Mr. Bartescue was under suspicion even before this. He has written his name so many different ways.”
”I can explain that,” Barty said coldly.
”Then please do,” Bess insisted.
”I shall explain nothing to you,” the man retorted. ”When Miss Drew comes I will tell her-in private!”
He turned and walked toward the hotel. The manager hastened after him, continuing to offer apologies for the mistake.
”I seem to have achieved the prize boo-boo,” George said contritely.
”But the fact remains,” Bess agreed soberly, ”that Bartescue still has a lot to explain.”
”We must find Nancy immediately,” George declared urgently. ”Barty may slip away, and then we'll never learn the reason for his strange actions.”
CHAPTER XVIII.
Exonerated
FOLLOWING Margaret Judson's plaintive announcement that she could not face her former fiance, Nancy tried to draw the full story from the young woman. Margaret said again that it was because she had been accused of being a thief.
”But you're innocent, aren't you?” Ned asked.
”Oh, yes, yes. I have never done anything dishonest in my life. And please forgive my tears,” Margaret Judson replied in embarra.s.sment.
Finding Nancy and Ned sympathetic, the young woman began to explain the situation.
”It happened a little over two years ago,” she said. ”On the way home from a trip abroad I met a charming woman named Mrs. Brownell and we became good friends. I finally invited her to spend a weekend at my home.”
”Your house near Deer Mountain Hotel?” Nancy asked.
”Yes. I was living there at the time. Mrs. Brownell accepted my invitation. One evening before dinner I learned that my guest loved beautiful jewelry. I opened the safe and showed her a small chest containing my family heirlooms. Instead of returning it to the safe, as I should have done, I placed the chest in my bureau drawer,
”That night as I was preparing for bed, Mrs. Brownell came to my room to show me a jeweled compact. It was exquisite. We chatted for a time, then she went back to her room. Later I noticed she had left the compact on my dresser.”