Vicky Van

hat did it mean? Why was Vicky in the

trolman was not in sight. She had looked out for this, of course. It was the merest chance that I had seen her, otherwise she would have escaped all observation. At three in the morning there are almost no people abroad in t

again, but a sense of delicacy forbade me. I was not a detective, and if I persisted, I might attract the attention of a passer-by or of the returning policeman, and so get Vicky into all sorts of trouble. I wasn't tracking the girl down. If she was a crimi

on. Hastening into my own house, I flew to the tel

se, but at last I heard Vicky's

not for myself, led me to withho

left your house. I called up to of

eartfelt way. "I appreciate such kindness,

m so anxious about you. You are not imp

id-or didn't do-must always remain a mystery. I cannot tell you-anything. Don't ask.

I see you-somewhere-a

ou wa

eed

ve in me? Do you h

uld I rid my mind of the conviction of her guilt I

t do that

w the expected guest was co

id n

know an

N

know-the

him once, a

ou lik

iked. He was an object of

why di

never know. I c

gony and fear in Vicky's voice thrilled me, and I desired

ndly voice speak to me. Bu

inite. Some errand of trust,

ean it? W

! What

a few days-say, three days-and put it aside for me. You saw me get

I mean, where a

ow I am to be hunted down. So I must hide. I cannot

uddered at the confirmation of my suspic

ly tried not to disclose my sudden knowledge of her g

hen, for I must stop this talking, it is too desperately dangerous. I will leave the key of the mail box-no, I wi

il them

et into this house, can't you? The

probably m

great Chinese jar, in the music room. The one with the gold dragon on the cover. No one will look the

ere was a marvellous fascination always about Vicky Van, and now, at the end of this

d used, "I will not spy. But promise me that you will call on me for a

ut this is good-bye. I shall leave New York in a few days never to return. I must have that mail, or I would g

on't-" but I could not put in words the fear that had suddenly come to me, and even

under! Why, it might have been overheard by anybody on the line.

spy, and I turned quickly away. If she were about to disappe

, I was not to know untroubled slumber again

e was secretly getting her letters. But, I realized, I had looked a

indeed, those letters must be, that she should go to such lengths to get them. Well, I h

or done pointed to guilt. Had she been innocent, she would have told me so, by word or by implication. She wou

oice or intonations. She had sounded sad, hopeless, despairing. An

e? Well, at least, I would scrupulously perform the task she had set me, and I would do it well. I knew I co

l containing the key might give me a clue to

ces. I told Winnie, however, that she needn't watch the Van A

aimed my wideawake sister. "Have yo

here, Win. How do you think that friend of yours, Miss Crow

ed Winnie. "Does Mrs

've said of the Crowell girl, I should think she'd

rly as this. I'll c

yler will pay proper salary to the right secr

ure she'll love to go. Why, any se

erved Aunt Lucy. "The amount of wor

Mrs. Schuyler's personal correspondence and business. I mean

th Crowell, and if she can't go, I'll ask her to r

go. And let me know-teleph

y, my head in a whirl with the various

, until at noon, Winnie telephoned me that it was all

ched home that night, I had on

er, smiling, and ra

. "Have you accepted a propo

guess you'll open your eyes when

l Child. Relieve y

have accepted the post

dolph Sc

abeth Calhoun!

ht interest," she said, and she

with a resigned expression, toy

she mean?

s," replied Aunt Lucy. "But onl

e doesn't want to lose the chance, so I went over and told Mrs. Schuyler about it. And then as she was simply swamped with letters and telegrams and telephones and callers, and goodness

t what a crazy scheme, Win! How di

Winnie bobbed her wis

nnie's tales of the great house and the aristocratic people, had a strong influence on our aunt's views and had brought about her permission for Win to go th

brary for a comfortable smoke, and bade Winnie tell m

akers' men were in and out, and those two old maids-his sisters, you know-were everlastingly appearing and disappearing. And they don't like Mrs. Schuyler an awful lot, nor she them. Oh, they're polite and all that, but you can see they're

at is she?" I asked, a

hes, though. And she knows a lot. Why, Chess, she's having the loveliest things made, if they are mourning, and the sisters, they ask her about everything they order-to wear, I mean. And, j

e tell

sweetest little lady I ever saw. I just love her! Well, I answered a lot of letters for her, and she liked t

s you're

ind, but you have a fair amount of intelligence-no, she didn't use those words, exactly, but I gathered that was what she meant. The funer

d about-about the a

ot much in my hearing. But Mrs. Schuyler wasn't in the room all the time. And

see any

ou read about in English novels. A nice, motherly woman, with gray hair and a black silk

oes she think Vicky Van killed Mr. Schuyler? Since you're

se? And the two sisters are madly revengeful. As soon as the funeral is over, they're going to work to find tha

one thing for you to help Mrs. Schuyler out in an emer

ked like a wise owl, as she aired her new and s

rs. Schuyler needs your services

n one of her enthusiastic descriptions of the grand ways of the

ible sidelight on the whole business, and I,