“It’s a stranger, or some of the other boarders,” thought Larry. “Mrs. Boland would walk right in. What shall I do?”
As he stood there irresolutely, holding the incriminating bit of evidence between his fingers, Larry heard a voice in an unmistakable foreign accent ask:
“Are yez in there, Mr. Witherby?”
“A woman!” thought Larry. “One of the maids, evidently.”
“Becaze av yez are in there, Mr. Witherby, th’ missus sint me some time ago t’ mek th’ room up, an’ I clane forgot it. So I’ll be after doin’ it now, av yez ain’t in it. Be yez there, Mr. Witherby?”
What answer should Larry make? The girl, unsuspecting though she might be, would be likely to know Witherby’s voice, and raise an alarm if she heard a strange one. Nor was Larry confident of his ability to make his tones sound like those of the absent boarder. He was puzzled as to what to do. If only Mrs. Boland had remained on guard, she could have sent the servant away. But the landlady had probably gone downstairs.
“Are yez there, Mr. Witherby?” came the voice again. “Becaze I must do that room or th’ missus’ll be displazed, an’ me only after gittin’ th’ job here t’day. ‘Clane Mr. Witherby’s room,’ sez th’ missus t’ me this marnin, an’ I clane forgot it until now. But av yez are out, Mr. Witherby, I’ll do it now.”
Larry had an inspiration.
“A new servant!” he reflected. “She probably has never seen Witherby, and doesn’t know his voice. I’m safe.”
So he made answer.