Part 24 (2/2)

It was in the midst of an astonished silence that Mr. Anstruther, followed by Eleanor, walked up the length of the long drawing-room towards Mrs. Danvers, the young people making way for them as they advanced. When he had arrived opposite her he gave her a stiff bow, which she returned with her eyes fixed on the girl, who had the same name, and yet was not the Eleanor Carson they knew. It was very puzzling, she thought.

”When I have explained the reasons for my presence here this evening, you will agree with me, I trust, that no apology is required for what, so far, must seem to you an unwarrantable intrusion,” he began in his most deliberate manner.

”Certainly,” murmured Mrs. Danvers, rather vaguely, though she meant, of course, that no apology was needed.

One of the boys--it was Noel--gave a little sn.i.g.g.e.r, but when Mr.

Anstruther turned with raised eyebrows in his direction, Noel tried, but without success, to look as if he had made no sound.

”I have come here,” Mr. Anstruther resumed then, addressing himself once more to Mrs. Danvers, ”in search of my granddaughter Margaret, who, I understand, has been living in your house in the capacity of holiday governess since the 28th of July.”

”Margaret Anstruther!” said Mrs. Danvers. ”I am very sorry, but I have never heard the name before.”

”So I understand, madam,” was the grim reply. ”My granddaughter has been known to you under the name of Eleanor Carson.”

At that the excitement with which the entire family had been listening to him could no longer be restrained, and they broke into a perfect chorus of exclamations and questions. And high above them all Hilary's voice could be heard saying over and over again, ”I knew it; I knew it. Perhaps you will believe me now. I always suspected that she was an imposter.

Now, perhaps, none of you will contradict me again about her being a thief and a burglar.”

Her persistent, exultant tone so dominated all her brothers' and sisters'

disjointed exclamations that she eventually silenced them, and her shrill voice finished alone. And when at length she had done, it was to find Mr.

Anstruther's piercing eyes gazing attentively at her.

”Young lady,” he said, and Eleanor, who had easily identified Hilary as the member of the family whom Margaret liked least, exulted at the thought that she was now going to get a taste of Mr. Anstruther's wrath, ”young lady, will you oblige me by repeating quietly and without any display of excitement the extraordinary statement you have just made relative to my granddaughter being a burglar.”

But Hilary was not in the least daunted by his icy tones. Hot with indignation at the recollection of the scorn with which her family had received proof of her detective skill, she burst into an eager account of all the suspicions she had entertained about Margaret, and though, fortunately for herself, she did not again say anything about Colonel Baker's silver, she wound up by thrusting the case containing the necklace and the miniature into his hand.

”There,” she said triumphantly, ”I found that in her dressing bag this afternoon, and when I taxed her with having stolen them, she said----”

”Yes, what did she say?”

”That they were hers.”

Mr. Anstruther looked her up and down; then he took the open case from her hand, snapped it to, and slipped it into his pocket.

”And so they are hers,” he said. ”Does your a.s.sertion that my granddaughter is a burglar and a thief rest on any other evidence but this?”

”N--no,” faltered Hilary, feeling smaller and of less account than she had ever felt in her life before.

”Then do me the favour of not addressing me again while I remain in this house,” said Mr. Anstruther; and turning his back upon the now thoroughly discomfited girl, he resumed his conversation with Mrs. Danvers at the point at which it had been broken off. And Hilary shrank back behind the others, and received scant comfort for the snubbing she had got from any of them.

”I did my best to stop you making such an awful goat of yourself,”

whispered Edward. ”Couldn't you see that that precious bit of proof of yours was just so much evidence for the other side? He had just told us that Miss Carson's name was Margaret Anstruther, and Margaret was written inside the locket, wasn't it, and the initial outside was 'A'?”

Hilary nodded, too mortified even to speak. Now that it was too late she did see the silly, stupid blunder she had made, and she could have bitten out her tongue with annoyance.

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