Nick went to the back end of the house and asked for Bernice.
“She’s gone,” said one of the servants.
“Gone where?”
“To the city,” was the reply.
Nick smiled and turned away. He remembered distinctly of having caught a glimpse of the girl at one of the upper windows just before entering the orchard, perhaps five minutes before the shooting.
“She went away two hours ago,” said the servant, a young girl who seemed devoted to the maid. “I saw her take the train.”
Nick thought he knew why the girl had been hiding in the house, and why she had instructed the servant to tell of her departure. He turned to his assistant.
“Bernice may try to take the next train,” he said. “Now, I want to talk with her before she gets off, and I wish you would watch the depot and see that she remains here at least until morning.”
“But she has already gone,” said Chick.