Part 4 (1/2)
”Hol's the --nothing of any consequence Come on Let us hurry after the major, or we'll miss the fun Mrs Miller, permit me,” and he offered his arm to the major's wife, who stood nearest the door
”No, but I insist on knohat is ht to know,” called the doctor, as he struggled into his arar-case and an old pocket-book I've mislaid them somewhere and there's no time to look Come on”
”Mr Holmes,” said Mrs Miller in a low tone, ”I have abundant reason for asking and--no! Tell me Where was that pocket-book and how much money was there in it?”
”In my overcoat-pocket, at sunset Probably one hundred dollars or so
I never carry much in that way You will not speak of it, Mrs Miller?”
”To ht You do not dream what trouble we are in, with a thief in our very midst”
”Some of the servants, I suppose,” he said, carelessly
But to his surprise she only bowed her head and was silent a moment, then muttered rather than spoke the words,--
”God knows I only hope so!”
V
”What a tru fellow McLean seems to be, doctor,” said Mr
Hol a final cigar together
”Oh, he's not a bad lot by any means,” was the reply ”Good deal of a boy, you know Has no experience of life Doesn't know anything, in fact, except what professional knowledge he picked up at the Point You can't expect anything else of an infantry subaltern whose army life has been spent out in this God-forsaken country”
”Why do you always run down this country, doctor? It's a glorious country, a nificent country I declare I hate the clatter and racket and rush of Chicago o back to it”
”That's all very well You are uno as you please If you were a hter in these barbaric wilds, or even to live here at all,--a man of my tastes and antecedents,--you'd curse the fates that landed you in the army Still, I would nottolife in these garrison associations Who is there here, except possibly Miss Forrest, who, by birth, education, and social position, is fit to be an intiirl of her--pardon e in such a ar He bent iulped back his words, shook his head, and began puffing vigorously once more He felt that the ti no progress whatever She had been cordial, sweet, kind, as befitted her father's daughter to her father's guest; but this day, as though her wo the secret of his heart, a suspicion of reserve and distance had been creeping into her ht Then he recalled Miss Forrest's trenchant words; he remembered the white face that came back from the peep into the empty hall Was McLean the ement in her heart? He had co soldier whose pluck and aerous expedition, a pursuit of the band that had wounded his comrade and killed two of hisMcLean, who is he? The name is one of the best”
”Oh, he's only distantly related to the main line, I fancy The country is full of the to _the_ McLeans Of course, I suppose they all hail frohland clan, but even there the line of deillie of the sa fellow had h, provided he could travel a year or so He needs polish, _savoir-faire_, and he can't travel because he's in debt and hasn't a penny in the world”
”How in debt? One would suppose a young fellow of his appearance could live on his pay, unless he drank or ga”
”Oh, it isn't that; he's steady enough The trouble with McLean is soeant when he was 'acting' here last winter He could hardly help it, I suppose: the sergeant was an expert thief and hid his stealings co bacon and flour and sugar and coffee to these Black Hills outfits going up the last year or so When the regiot back and the stores were turned over to hieant promptly skipped, and McLean was found short about six hundred dollars' worth They had a board of survey last winter, and the orders in the case were only finally issued a feeeks ago just as he returned froot toelse”
”Isn't that pretty rough on the youngster?”
”Yes, perhaps, but it's business He won't have such confidence in hueant were back here I could account for the disappearance of your porte-monnaie by a surer hypothesis than that you lost it or dropped it Are you sure you dropped it?”