"He was a miner," said Mrs. Arlington.
"And what business had he here in this room?"
"That is nothing to you, girl. Forget that you saw him here."
"A thing easier said than done, mother. I saw his face and his eyes, and I know he is a wicked man and one to be greatly feared. Why should you have dealings with such a wretch?"
"You ask too many needless questions, June. Look out and tell me if you still see anything of—of—Frank Merriwell."
But when June looked from the window Frank Merriwell was not to be seen on the street, which had again resumed its usual aspect.
"I must have a spell of quiet to restore my nerves, June," said Mrs. Arlington, when the girl had told her. "Leave me. Call Jackson. I think I will lie down."
So the colored maid was called, and June lingered to make sure there was nothing she could do for her mother, who coldly bade her go.
In her own room June found herself filled with tempestuous thoughts and vain speculations. She was bewildered by it all, and there was much that she could not understand, for her mother had told her little or nothing of what had brought them to that Arizona town. She was wise enough to know full well that the lady had not come there in search of health, and surely it could not be pleasure she expected in such a place, which left but one thing to suppose—it was business. But what sort of business could she[Pg 204] have there? and why should she meet and do business with a murderous wretch like the man who had tried to shoot Frank Merriwell from the open window?