"Once——" June stopped short. She had been on the verge of telling her mother that once that lady had accepted something from Dick Merriwell—her life! For, as Mrs. Arlington slipped on the icy platform of the railway-station at Fardale and was falling[Pg 186] beneath the wheels of a moving train, Dick had grasped and held her till the cars passed and she was safe.
But June had seen her mother turn blue with anger at mention of this affair, so she checked herself now, not wishing to arouse the lady.
Tea was finished in silence, mother and daughter being occupied with their thoughts.
The maid moved softly about the table.
They had just finished when there came a tap on the door.
"See who it is, Jackson," directed Mrs. Arlington.
The man with the blue beak was at the door.
"I must speak with Mrs. Arlington," he said, and entered, hat in hand.
"What is it, Mr. Dodge?" asked the lady, frowning coldly and plainly annoyed.
Eliot Dodge paused and looked at June significantly.