“I do not know the lady,” said Naki sullenly. “But the young man was Reginald Latham. He was on the hill the day Eunice was hurt. He went with us to the Indian woman’s wigwam. She was angry at his coming.” Naki paused.
Mr. Winthrop Latham was frowning and looking down at the pattern of the carpet. Miss Stuart knew he realized that his sister and nephew were playing a double game which, for the time being, he preferred to ignore.
“Good-night, Miss Stuart,” said Mr. Latham, a few minutes later. “I shall join you in the morning. If the Indian woman is at Naki’s house, I will see her there; if not, I shall go to her wigwam. Notwithstanding all that has happened, she must have satisfactory proofs.”
Miss Stuart knew Mr. Latham now suspected that both his sister-in-law and nephew were convinced of Eunice’s identity.
“Naki,” Miss Sallie asked, “at daylight, to-morrow, will you go to the old squaw’s wigwam? Tell her that she shall not be punished,” continued Miss Stuart. “I am very sorry for her.”
Naki was looking at Miss Stuart. His solemn face expressed surprise. “Do you mean you have found out about Eunice?” he asked.
“Certainly, Naki,” Miss Stuart rejoined. “If you have known Eunice’s story, and have not told it before, you have behaved very badly. Tell the Indian woman to bring what proofs she has to convince Mr. Latham that little Eunice is the child of her daughter.”
“I will,” Naki promised. “But I knowed of Eunice in another way. There is a man in Stockbridge as knows who the child is. He was a preacher once. He is part Indian, part white. He was with Eunice’s mother when she died. She told him about the child, but begged him to keep it a secret. The Indian mother did not want the child to go back to the Lathams. She was afraid they would be unkind to her baby. The man told me the story several years ago.”
Miss Sallie was deeply interested. “Naki, when you bring the squaw to your house in the morning, go to Stockbridge. Then find the man who knows the story of Eunice, and bring him, too.”
“You can count on me,” were Naki’s last words.