"No, I cannot, Mrs. Masterbrook. Come out unless you prefer to tell your story to a policeman."
"A policeman!" echoed the housekeeper with a little shriek. "Oh, my goodness! I'll come right out."
She was dressed in five minutes but did not take time to remove the curlers from her hair.
"Just what is it that you wish?" she asked tartly as she gazed from one person to another. Everyone was watching her soberly.
"Look at this letter," said Mr. Nichols, placing the anonymous communication in her lap.
A flush spread over the housekeeper's face but she threw back her head defiantly.
"Well, what about it?"
"We know that you wrote the letter," said the detective sternly, "so you may as well admit the truth."
Mrs. Masterbrook hesitated, and for a moment Penny thought that she meant to deny the charge. Then the woman said coldly:
"Well, what if I did write it? You can't send me to jail for trying to do a good turn."