Part 26 (1/2)
”Ah, that's it,” he responded. ”I'm on guard--keeping watch!”
”I knew it! I knew it!” and the shrill voice rose to a plangent pitch again. ”You have hidden her away. Helen! Helen!”
”Now, now, now--my dear lady,” broke in Barnes, soothingly.
”I'm not your dear lady,” she flashed on him.
”My dear auntie”--Mrs. Burton's hysteria was becoming contagious--”I beg your pardon,” he added hastily, ”your niece, Miss Helen, is not here. I've been watching for hours, and she's not here--no one is here.”
”That s.h.i.+rt-sleeved man is here--and you're here!”
”But, auntie, he's a friend of Mr. Gladwin's,” interposed Sadie.
”Ah, ha! I knew it!” screamed Mrs. Burton. ”He's in the plot.” And again she plunged for him, crying, ”You're his friend--you're helping him to steal my niece. But you shan't--I'll prevent it--I'll search the house. Come, Sadie!”
Barnes dodged skilfully and permitted Mrs. Burton to pa.s.s out into the hallway. Sadie was about to follow when the young man stopped her.
”But I must go with auntie,” Sadie objected.
”Never mind auntie now. I want to tell you about your cousin.”
”Then you've seen her?”
”No.”
”But you know where she is?”
”No.”
”Then what can you tell me about her?”
”Everything! Sit down, please. Remember you asked me to help you and I promised to do so.”
Mrs. Burton had managed to switch on the lights in the big reception room back of the hallway and was searching behind curtains, under books, behind pictures and in innumerable other places, after the manner of hysterical women.
”I said I would help you, you know,” ran on Barnes.
”Yes,” and Sadie looked up into his eyes confidently.
”Do you know why I promised?”
”No. Why did you?”
Barnes bent down toward her and said with all the ardor he could command:
”Because from the moment I saw you I became your slave. When I saw how distressed you were about your cousin this evening my heart went out to you--the instant you left I decided to act and I've been acting ever since.”
”Oh, how kind--what have you done?”
”I've watched.”