"Perhaps not. She's mighty fond of her grandfather. She'll be glad to have him freed from suspicion and she'll be sorry—about the other thing."
Sarah Judd—otherwise Josie O'Gorman—sighed again; but presently she gave a little chuckle of glee.
"Won't Nan be wild, though, when she finds I've beaten her and won the case for Hathaway?"
"Nan won't mind. She's an old hand at the game and has learned to take things as they come. She'll be at work upon some other case within a week and will have forgotten that this one ever bothered her."
"Who is Agatha Lord, and why did they send her here as principal, with
Nan as her maid?"
"Agatha is an educated woman who has moved in good society. The Chief thought she would be more likely to gain the friendship of the Conants than Nan, for poor Nan hasn't much breeding to boast of. But she was really the principal, for all that, and Agatha was instructed to report to her and to take her orders."
"They were both suspicious of me," said the girl, "but as neither of them had ever set eyes on me before I was able to puzzle them. On the other hand, I knew who Nan was because I'd seen her with you, which gave me an advantage. Now, tell me, how's mother?"
"Pretty chirky, but anxious about you because this is your first case and she feared your judgment wasn't sufficiently matured. I told her you'd pull through all right."
For an hour they sat talking together. Then Officer O'Gorman kissed his daughter good night and walked back to the Bigbee house.