But she read refusal in his eyes as he looked at her critically, and saw him choose Stryker.
"You're to be put to bed at once," he said dryly. "You'll need attention too, I'm thinking."
And so Beth, with McGuire's arm supporting and Aunt Tillie's arm around her, was led to the room adjoining,—the pink room of Miss Peggy McGuire. McGuire closed the door and questioned her eagerly.
"You say Hawk Kennedy was killed——?"
"I think so—or—or burned," said Beth, now quivering in the reaction of all that she had experienced. "I—I sent Shad Wells to see. We left him lying there. We just had time to get away. The fire was all around. We got to the swamp—into the water—but he——" She put her face into her hands, trembling with the recollection. "It was horrible. I can't talk about it."
Aunt Tillie glared at McGuire, but he still questioned uneasily.
"You—you saw nothing of a blue envelope, a paper——"
With an effort Beth lowered her hands and replied:
"No—Peter—Mr. Nichols thought of it. Shad Wells will bring it—if it isn't burned."
"Oh, I see——"