“What does it matter!” I snapped. “I’m not in the least interested in what stringy little men are carrying about the country. What I’m interested in is what has become of my second best nightie and my Japanese kimono and my toothbrush.”
“Oh, well, there’s no use worrying about ’em now,” Eve said practically. Her finger was toying with the catch of the intruding baggage. Suddenly there was a snap and it sprang open. The case wasn’t even locked!
I watched Eve lift the lid gingerly as if she expected something to spring out at her. Maintaining my pose of indifference, I did not move. But of course I could not help seeing when the lid fell back, revealing a pile of men’s clothing with a folded newspaper on top. The paper fluttered to the floor as Eve poked the clothes aside. “There might be an address,” she remarked.
Underneath the clothes, we discovered a collection of small jars and bottles. “Harry’s Hair Restorer,” Eve read. “And what’s this—‘Harry’s Scalp Salve,’ ‘Harry’s Magic Lotion for Baldness.’” She giggled. Then meeting my disapproving eyes, she said: “All right, Sandy, you’re right of course, I am a snoop. But I did think we ought to look for a name or something to go on.”
“Aren’t there any letters?” I asked.
“Don’t see any.” She was putting the bottles back. “I guess we’ll just have to take it back to the bus station in the morning and see what they can do for us. But don’t worry, darling, you’ll surely get your things back. They wouldn’t do ‘Harry’ any good, you know!”
“But what about Aunt Cal?” I inquired anxiously. “Shall we tell her, d’you think?”
“I don’t see why not. After all, everyone makes mistakes.”
“Ye-es,” I agreed doubtfully, “I suppose so.” I was thinking of that speculative look in my relative’s sharp eyes and I was quite certain that not even in the most unguarded moment of her life would she have done anything so stupid as to appropriate baggage which did not belong to her.
It was quite dark before we had finished discussing what had happened and were at last ready to settle down for the night. Eve was already in bed when I blew out the light and went to open the window.