"I'm glad, for my part," was the reply. Josie's blue eyes were shining innocently and her smile was very sweet. Mary Louise regarded her suspiciously.
"What is it, Josie!" she demanded. "What has that old desk to do with—with—"
"The German spy plot? Just wait and see, Mary Louise."
"You won't tell me?"
"Not now, dear."
"But why did you ship the thing to Washington, if it is likely to prove a valuable clue?"
"Why ask questions that I can't answer? See here, Mary Louise: it isn't wise, or even safe, for me to tell you anything just yet. What I know frightens me—even me! Can't you wait and—trust me?"
"Oh, of course," responded Mary Louise in a disappointed voice. "But I fail to understand what Professor Dyer's old desk can possibly have to do with our quest."
Josie laughed.
"It used to belong to the Dudley-Markhams."