She left the telephone and turned a very scared face to John.
"John, I"m just a plain old fool. Send the car to the police station, and tell Joseph to get that man if he has to tie him up! And you go telephone Mr. Thornton to come here at once. Now he"ll have a chance to talk and I can"t say a word."
It was a very frightened and meek Drusilla that greeted Mr. Thornton and Daphne when they came into the room.
"I came along, Miss Doane," Daphne explained, "because Mr. Brierly said you were in some trouble, and I thought perhaps I might help you."
Drusilla laughed rather shakily.
"I"m afraid, Daphne, this is a case for your father. I"ve arrested the wrong man."
"What do you mean?" said Mr. Thornton quickly.
"I"ve got a preacher in jail--or he was there unless Joseph can git him to come with him."
Then she told the whole story. Mr. Thornton could not keep a twinkle from his eyes as he listened. But he did not laugh; he saw that Drusilla was too frightened and upset.
"Now what am I goin" to do?" Drusilla finished. "You must get me out of this."
The lawyer thought a moment.
"The man wanted some money for some children, or the poor of his parish. Perhaps we can arrange it. Money is a balm that"ll soothe most outraged feelings."
"Give him anything, anything!" Drusilla hegged. "I never thought I"d arrest a preacher, and at my time of life. Poor man, and his name was Algernon, too!"
A very angry man was brought into the room, and was met by a courteous lawyer; but Drusilla brushed him aside and went up to the man and, laying her hand on his arm looked up into his face appealingly.
"I can"t tell you how sorry I am! I don"t know what to say or what to do! I won"t never forgive myself, even if you forgive me, which I don"t expect."
The man looked down at her and the angry flush left his face.
"I don"t know what to say myself, Miss Doane," he replied. "It"s rather a new experience for me, a police station--"
"Well, I"m so ashamed and so sorry I can"t talk. Just set down and let lawyer Thornton tell you all about it."
The lawyer explained to him the circ.u.mstances of Mr. Gleason"s visit, and that Drusilla had received instructions to arrest the next man who claimed to come from her former home.
"It was unfortunate for me that I happened to be the next man," the clergyman said with a laugh. "But I understand, and it is all right."
Drusilla looked at him gratefully.
"You"re a good man, if your name _is_ Algernon, and if five hundred dollars will help them children Mr. Thornton will give it to you tomorrow. And now you"ll stay here and visit me until you finish your business in New York."
The clergyman flushed, this time with pleasure.
"You are more than kind, Miss Doane. I believe I"d be willing to go to the police station every day if I could help the poor of our little town so easily."
"It is all right then," said Drusilla, "and jest you let me know when you want things and you can always count on me, "cause I"m so relieved. But I know you"re hungry. I"ll have some supper brought up here and you can talk with John. Are you goin", Mr. Thornton?" as the lawyer rose. "Let Daphne stay a while with me. I want her to come to my room and talk a while. I"m real upset and tired and I can listen to Daphne without having to think."
"That sounds as if I talked nothing but nonsense!" Daphne pouted.
Drusilla put her arm around the young girl.
"Never you mind, dear; I like your chatter, so come with me."
And they went to Drusilla"s room.
They drew up two easy chairs before the fire and as Drusilla settled into the luxurious depths of hers she chuckled to herself.
"Five hundred dollars! I always knowed preachers was a luxury--but-- Well, talk to me, Daphne. What you been doin"?"
"I"m so glad to get a chance to talk with you, Miss Doane. I"ve been intending to come over for a week, but I"ve been too busy. You know, Miss Doane, I have a real love affair on my hands, and it"s giving me no end of trouble."
Drusilla looked at her quickly.
"Not your own love affair, Daphne?"
Daphne flushed under the sharp gaze.
"No," she said hastily; "Uncle Jim"s."
"I didn"t know you had an Uncle Jim."
"Oh, yes; Papa"s younger brother."
Drusilla laughed.
"Well, if he is like your father I should think he could manage his own love affairs."
"He is and he can"t. He"s just like father, only worse. He"s so sort of stiff and cold that he freezes people; but he can"t help it. He"s been engaged to the _nicest_ girl--Mary Deane. You know she lives in the big house on the Denham road. She"s the dearest girl, and I adore her, although she"s much older than I am. Oh, she"s very old--she must be thirty. Uncle Jim and she were to be married, and then all at once she broke the engagement and went to Egypt. Uncle Jim would never say why it was, and I didn"t know until she came back last week, when I found out all about it. She cried when she told me. She said he wasn"t human; that she couldn"t pa.s.s her life with him, he"s always so cold and correct. She says he never unbends, sort of stands up straight even when he kisses her. Yet I know she loves him; and Uncle Jim hasn"t been the same man at all since the engagement was broken."
"What are you going to do about it? You can"t make him over."
"I know it; but if they"d only meet he might be different. She won"t come to our house for fear she"ll meet him, and he is too proud to go and see her. And I know they are just breaking their hearts for each other."
She was quiet for a moment.
"I wish I could find some way to have them meet accidentally.
"Let"s make a scheme, Daphne. Your father is going to Chicago next week, and he told me that his brother--I guess he means this Jim-- would take his place with me. Now, why can"t I get in some kind of trouble--that"s always easy for me--and I"ll telephone him to come over right away, and then you come in by chance with this young lady.
Tell her that I"m a feeble old lady that needs some one to cheer her up. Tell her anything that"ll git her here."
"She"ll come. I"ve told her about you and she said she wanted to come to see you."
"It"s easy then, and we"ll trust to something turnin" up right."
Daphne rose to go.