“Yes,” agreed Ruth, “that’s what we came for.”
“I can’t give you an official opinion until I look further into the matter,” he said, growing a bit grave as he saw how much these two Corner House girls were affected by what had taken place. “Let me have the documents in the case,” he begged.
“Meaning these laundry checks, as Luke calls them?” asked Ruth.
“Yes. You know we lawyer fellows depend a great deal on documentary evidence. Not that I think I can get much from these, however,” he went on, as he looked over Hop Wong’s notes.
“What shall we do?” Ruth wanted to know.
“Just nothing for the present,” was the lawyer’s advice. “Leave it to me. I’ll see the official court interpreter whom we always have whenever there is a Chinese case in court, and I’ll get him to have a talk with Hop Wong. It is just possible that he may be misunderstood, both in his writings and talk.”
“Yes, that’s possible,” admitted Ruth. “I wouldn’t want to do the poor fellow an injustice.”
“He seemed to have a guilty conscience,” remarked Agnes, with a giggle, as she remembered how Hop Wong had run at the mention of the word guardian.
“Perhaps he isn’t the only one,” replied Mr. Howbridge, with a smile, looking at several documents on his desk. “We lawyers run across some queer cases. Not to raise your hopes too high, however, I think I wouldn’t anticipate too much from what Hop Wong said,” he went on. “I mean about a great sum of money coming to you. I handled all of your Uncle Peter’s affairs and, as far as I know, his estate is all settled and you have the most of it.”
“For which we are duly grateful,” said Ruth.