While Mabel had spent long hours of patient search for a secret drawer in the old desk, Bee had come upon one unawares.
CHAPTER XXV
WHAT THE SECRET DRAWER HELD
The secret drawer, which Bee’s straying fingers had unwittingly released from its hiding place, projected about six inches from the table end. It measured perhaps eight inches across and two in depth. When closed its front formed one of the carved oblong designs which repeated itself at intervals of two inches apart on the overhanging mahogany strips constituting the two ends of the table. The oblong which masked the secret drawer was the last to the left on the end on which Bee had taken hold when about to move the table back to its original place.
These facts relative to the secret drawer were, for the time being, lost on the two girls. Heads together, they were wonderingly examining a square, thin little book, bound in stained sheepskin, which Bee had snatched from the drawer.
“‘The Private and Personal Diary of one Sir John Holden, Passenger on His Majesty’s Ship Dragon,’” Bee was reading aloud from the book’s first page. The words were inscribed in faded ink in a fine running hand.
“Why, this is a real diary!” she exclaimed. “It was kept by an Englishman! It must be awfully old!”
“Turn over to the next page,” eagerly commanded Patsy, “and let’s see what it’s all about.”