Miss Hadley came into the reception room with a nervous flutter in her manner and a startled look in her soft eyes. She was a pretty girl, of an excessively feminine type,--all soft coloring and timid grace. Certainly she was a pleasant thing to look upon, yet Burton's heart rather sank as he stood up to meet her. "She hasn't the backbone to stand by a man," he thought to himself, with a swift recognition of what Henry was going to need. But aloud he said: "I took the liberty of calling to inquire about your father. I hope that his trying experiences last night have not had any serious effects."
"He has gone down to the bank," she answered. "He felt that he ought to take the risk."
"Risk? What is he afraid of?"
"Why, anything might happen, after last night," she said, opening her eyes wide upon him.
"I'm glad to hear you say that," said Burton quickly, "because it indicates that you--and I hope your father--do not share the foolish idea that Henry Underwood was in any way responsible for that outrage."
Her eyes filled with quick tears at the name. "They say he did it," she murmured.
"But you don't believe that," he said reassuringly. "You know that he has been arrested and put in jail, yet you say that your father fears other possible attacks. Of course if Mr. Underwood were the one, there would be no further danger, now that he is locked up! So I infer that your father is satisfied that it was some one else."
But anything so logical as this bit of reasoning found no response in Miss Hadley's mind. She looked at him from brimming violet eyes that, Burton confessed to himself with some cynicism, would have made anything like common sense seem an impertinence to him if he had been fifteen years younger.
"Papa says that he must have done it," she persisted. "He never did like Hen-- Mr. Underwood."
"But I am sure that any personal dislike will not prevent his being fair to him in a case like this. You can help, you know. You can tell your father quite frankly why Mr. Underwood was found loitering in the garden. That will clear him of the most serious part of the evidence against him."