“I am not denying they were stolen from your house, Mr. Gassett, but I wish you to explain how my father’s certificates came to be in your possession.”
“Explain nothing!” Mr. Gassett’s temper was rising. “If you knew anything about business you could see that your father had signed away his claim to them by putting his name on the back.”
“There is nothing to show that he signed them over to you, Mr. Gassett. My father died believing he owned that stock—he told my mother so. After his death we hunted high and low for it, but it could not be found. My mother asked you if the certificates were in the store safe, but you denied all knowledge of them—yet you had them all the time and they did not appear in the settlement of Father’s estate. It looks very queer if they were yours that you did not say so to my mother at the time. No, I shall not give them up until you prove your right to them.”
Mr. Gassett’s face was a very expressive one. It was red with wrath by the time Alice had finished her little speech.
“Hoighty-toighty, my girl, you’d better think twice before you go to insulting your betters. Your mother’s dead and what you remember as a half-grown girl won’t go very far in a court of law. Your father made over those certificates to me as security for a debt. It was none of your mother’s business whether I had them or not. They were endorsed in blank because he hoped to pay the debt and get them back, I suppose.”
“You mean he had paid the debt, but carelessly left those valuable papers in the store safe supposing you were an honest man!”
Alice spoke hastily, scarcely daring to hope herself that she had hit the truth.
If Mr. Gassett’s face had been red before, it was purple now. He fairly glared at Alice.
“You shall answer for this, you minx. You’ll not find it so pleasant being dragged into court. I’ll give you one more chance to hand over those papers peaceably—and if you don’t, I’ll have the law on you. As for you,” including Mrs. Morton in his rage, “I’m surprised that you should encourage your servant to insult a gentleman in your own home.”
“This is Alice’s affair, Mr. Gassett,” replied Mrs. Morton coldly. “She has a perfect right to say what she thinks. I did not arrange to have this interview take place here you will remember.”