The Lady Sleuths MEGAPACK TM(340)

                “My rival?”

                “Yes, your rival; and rivals are never good friends until one of them is hopelessly defeated.”

                “Miss Butterworth, I see myself already at your feet.”

                And with this sally and a short chuckle which did more than anything he had said towards settling me in my half-formed determination to do as I had threatened, he opened the door and quietly disappeared.


CHAPTER XVIII

                THE LITTLE PINCUSHION

                The verdict rendered by the Coroner’s jury showed it to be a more discriminating set of men than I had calculated upon. It was murder inflicted by a hand unknown.

                I was so gratified by this that I left the court-room in quite an agitated frame of mind, so agitated, indeed, that I walked through one door instead of another, and thus came unexpectedly upon a group formed almost exclusively of the Van Burnam family.

                Starting back, for I dislike anything that looks like intrusion, especially when no great end is to be gained by it, I was about to retrace my steps when I felt two soft arms about my neck.



                             “Oh, Miss Butterworth, isn’t it a mercy that this dreadful thing is over! I don’t know when I have ever felt anything so keenly.”

                It was Isabella Van Burnam.

                Startled, for the embraces bestowed on me are few, I gave a subdued sort of grunt, which nevertheless did not displease this young lady, for her arms tightened, and she murmured in my ear: “You dear old soul! I like you so much.”

                “We are going to be very good neighbors,” cooed a still sweeter voice in my other ear. “Papa says we must call on you soon.” And Caroline’s demure face looked around into mine in a manner some would have thought exceedingly bewitching.

                “Thank you, pretty poppets!” I returned, freeing myself as speedily as possible from embraces the sincerity of which I felt open to question. “My house is always open to you.” And with little ceremony, I walked steadily out and betook myself to the carriage awaiting me.

                I looked upon this display of feeling as the mere gush of two over-excited young women, and was therefore somewhat astonished when I was interrupted in my afternoon nap by an announcement that the two Misses Van Burnam awaited me in the parlor.

                Going down, I saw them standing there hand in hand and both as white as a sheet.

                “O Miss Butterworth!” they cried, springing towards me, “Howard has been arrested, and we have no one to say a word of comfort to us.”

                “Arrested!” I repeated, greatly surprised, for I had not expected it to happen so soon, if it happened at all.

                “Yes, and father is just about prostrated. Franklin, too, but he keeps up, while father has shut himself into his room and won’t see anybody, not even us. O, I don’t know how we are to bear it! Such a disgrace, and such a wicked, wicked shame! For Howard never had anything to do with his wife’s death, had he, Miss Butterworth?”

                “No,” I returned, taking my ground at once, and vigorously, for I really believed what I said. “He is innocent of her death, and I would like the chance of proving it.”



                             They evidently had not expected such an unqualified assertion from me, for they almost smothered me with kisses, and called me their only friend! and indeed showed so much real feeling this time that I neither pushed them away nor tried to withdraw myself from their embraces.