One—two—three—chimed the clock on the mantel in Marian’s parlor and the sound drowned the faint noise made by the turning of the lock of the front door; the next instant the door opened and a figure slipped in, listened a moment, then slipped with incredible swiftness into the parlor. A second later a flashlight played over the furniture, never ceasing in its rapid movement until the rays of light disclosed the scrap-basket. The intruder turned over its contents, then the basket was replaced, and once again the flashlight played about the parlor, to linger longest on the desk.
Underneath a pile of correspondence lay a piece of red blotting paper. The intruder picked it up; a few words were discernible on its almost unused surface. With a soft sigh of thankfulness the intruder pocketed the blotter and silently stole from the apartment.
CHAPTER XIV
BURNHAM PREFERS CHARGES
MRS. WARD, going about her work languidly, distracted Jones from his usual duties; he was not quite certain what was expected of him, to attend to the housekeeper’s whims or to valet Peter Burnham whose continued indisposition had developed a fondness for being waited on. The butler searched in vain for Mrs. Burnham to ask for orders, but the only person he located on the second floor was Evelyn Preston.
“Indeed, Miss Evelyn,” he protested, “what am I to do? Mrs. Burnham says Mr. Burnham is to stay abed, and Mr. Burnham says he wants his clothes, and Mrs. Ward comes along and says I am to pack Mr. Maynard’s bag.”
“Mr. Maynard’s bag!” Evelyn sat down in the hall chair. “What are you talking about, Jones?”
“I don’t rightly know, Miss; I’ve moved Mr. Maynard’s things from the room upstairs to the spare bedroom on this floor ’cause Mrs. Ward said it was too hot for him up there; that was yesterday, and now——” Jones wagged his head despondently. “A body can’t obey everybody,” he grumbled. “I’d best be accepting the Mission’s offer——”
“Now, Jones, don’t talk nonsense,” interrupted Evelyn firmly. “The person to be obeyed in this house is——”
“Who, Miss? That’s just what I want to know,” blurted out Jones as she hesitated.