“Yes. It’s a mysterious affair. But if you know nothing about it, we must ferret it out as best we can.”
He spoke lightly, but his eyes never left Natalie’s face. In fact, Roberts was by no means asking her because he attached any importance to her spoken answer, but because he hoped by her expression or by some inadvertent slip, to learn the truth, even though she tried to conceal it.
“Mr. Roberts,” she said, suddenly, “if I wish to go away from this house, is there any reason I should not do so?”
“I’d rather you would ask somebody else that, Miss Vernon.”
“Whom shall I ask?”
“Captain Steele, or——”
“I am answered. You mean I would not be allowed to go.”
“I think it would be better for you to remain where you are. There may be developments shortly, that will call for your presence, though they may not affect you seriously. Please don’t plan to go away just now, but, also, don’t think my advice more indicative than it is meant to be.”
Roberts went off, and the four people he left behind him sat in a constrained silence.
At last, Beatrice spoke. “We must all band together to save Natalie,” she said, very seriously. “There is no use deceiving ourselves; Natalie is in danger. We know and love her, so we can’t connect her in our minds with any wrong-doing, but to outsiders the case looks different. Let us, then, face conditions that exist, and plan how we can best help her.”