“But you said you'd tell my mother if I didn't,” laughed Marie-Celeste.
“Oh, no, dear! I didn't put it quite like that. I only wondered if, perhaps, it was not my duty. But I know from what you have already told me that everything is all right. You see, I did not quite like to have a hand in anything so very unusual without being taken just a little into your confidence. You remember, when the other letters came, you scampered off in most excited fashion to read them all by yourself somewhere, and then never opened your lips about them afterward, so that I could not help feeling that it was a very queer proceeding, and that I really ought to look into it.”
“Yes, I understand perfectly, Miss Dorothy; and Ted says right here at the end of his letter: 'Tell Miss Allyn all about things if you think best.'” And of course that settled matters beautifully, quieting the last little suggestion of a compunction on Dorothy's part.
“Now, the best way to tell you,” Marie-Celeste began, “will be to read the letters. This first one is from Donald. 'London, August 20th'”—
“London, Marie-Celeste!”
“Wait, Miss Dorothy; it will explain itself,” smiling with delight at the pleasant surprises contained in those three precious letters.
“'London, August 20th. My dear friend' (you know, Donald has to begin that way, because he didn't like to say Marie-Celeste, and so never called me anything), 'you will be surprised to find I am in London, and, what is more, that I have come up to London as a valet for a gentleman, and the gentleman, let me tell you, is your cousin, Mr. Harris. You know we grew to be good friends all those weeks together down at the Hartleys', at Nuneham!'”
“Do you mean to say,” interrupted Dorothy—for the letter was not explaining things quite as fully as might be desired—“that Donald has actually been staying in the same cottage with Theodore?”
“You knew about Ted's accident, didn't you, Miss Dorothy? Ted said you did, that your brother had told you.”
“Yes, I knew about that, but I do not know where it happened or where he has been staying all these weeks.”