The hall clock chimed half past three and Nyoda started nervously.
"Plenty of time," said Migwan soothingly. "Come downstairs now and drink your coffee and eat something."
Nyoda went downstairs and drank several cups of coffee and forced herself to eat some of the scorched toast, although she was not in the least hungry.
"You"ll stay here in the house until I come back, won"t you, girls?" she said between sips of coffee. "Ill leave you in full charge. You"ll be careful, won"t you?"
"Yes, Nyoda," they all promised. "We"ll be good and see that nothing happens. Don"t worry."
"I"ll send you my address as soon as I get there, so you can write me.
Remember about lighting the gas stove in the kitchen, Hinpoha, it puffs.
The bed linen is in the closet off the front room upstairs."
"Yes, Nyoda, we"ll find everything, don"t worry."
The long peal of an auto horn sounded outside.
"There"s the car," said Sahwah. "The boys got it out of the garage and around the front of the house."
"What time is it?"
"A quarter to four. We"d better start, you have to buy your ticket first. Here, let me take the suitcase."
"Where are my gloves?"
"Here they are," said Migwan, handing them to her.
They pa.s.sed quickly down the front walk and into the waiting automobile.
A swift ride through the quiet streets in the first pale glimmerings of the dawn, and they were in the little station, the only ones waiting for the train.
The Captain strode over to the blackboard while Nyoda went to buy her ticket. "Train"s on time," he announced, coming back to the group.
In another minute they heard the whistle in the distance, and then the long train roared in and came to a panting halt. The Captain seized Nyoda"s suitcase and jumped aboard with it. Nyoda followed and stood still on the train steps to say good-bye to the Winnebagos crowding around.
"Be good, girlies," she said, smiling bravely at them.
"Oh, Nyoda, _dear_ Nyoda! We"ll think of you every minute. We"ll pray for you and Sherry."
The conductor stood on the platform, watch in hand.
"If you need anything, Nyoda, telegraph and we"ll send it"
The conductor dropped his right hand in signal to the engineer, and swung aboard, the wheels began to turn, the Captain leaped down from the other end of the car.
"Good-bye, Nyoda!"
A waving of handkerchiefs on the platform, an answering wave from the car window, and Nyoda was gone. No. 46 had puffed in on time, made its usual five-minute stop, and puffed out on time. But what a difference its coming and departure had made to the Winnebagos! It was all over in such quick time that they hardly had time to draw breath.
They stood on the platform and watched the train out of sight and then turned and climbed up the steps to the street, silent for the most part, with only an occasional exclamation of "What _will_ Nyoda do if Sherry dies?"
Then another swift drive through the silent streets, scarcely any lighter than they had been before, and they were back at Carver House, which suddenly seemed empty and dreary with Nyoda gone.
They sat down to the table and ate up the rest of the toast and drank the rest of the coffee; then the boys started back to their tent in the woods, and the Winnebagos, beginning to feel weak and shaky now that the excitement of getting Nyoda ready had pa.s.sed, went slowly and sadly up the stairs and crept into bed.
Thoroughly worn out with the strenuous evening and the still more strenuous night that followed it, they finally fell asleep, while the sun rose unwelcomed over Carver Hill and the stair clock chimed half past six in vain.
CHAPTER XV
IT NEVER RAINS--
Sahwah wakened with the sound of a bell ringing in her ears. The house was still asleep; the sun was pouring in brightly through the south window of the room. Sahwah wondered idly why the sun was shining in at that window; it always shone in the other window when she wakened in the morning. Then she remembered. It all seemed like a dream; the telegram, the hurried preparations for departure, the swift journey to the station with Nyoda and the return to Carver House without her. Sahwah was still piecing together the events of the night before when the shrill ring sounded through the house again. It was the front doorbell. Sahwah jumped up and threw on her bathrobe and, yawning widely, ran downstairs.
It was Agony; Agony with a face as pale as a ghost. "What"s the matter?"
asked Sahwah in consternation, forgetting her own great news at the sight of Agony"s expression.
"It"s Veronica," Agony burst out breathlessly.
"What"s the matter with Veronica?" asked Sahwah in alarm.
"She"s been arrested!"
Sahwah"s heart thumped queerly and then seemed to stand still at this climax of her forebodings. "What for?" she asked faintly.
Agony came in and sat down on the hall seat "There"s so much to tell, I think I"ll begin at the beginning," she said, and Sahwah stood still with her eyes fastened on Agony"s face apprehensively.
"You remember when you were all over at our house for dinner one night, and papa was home, he told us something about the big case he was working on, the Atterbury case, and he said he suspected that German agents were mixed up in it? Well, yesterday he got hold of some letters that proved it. There was one from a German Prince, Prince Karl Augustus of Hohenburg, to some man in this country, written before the war, promising to pay money to have strikes started and machinery damaged if this country went into the war. This very Atterbury was mentioned in the letter, and it made papa"s case complete against him. The letter had gotten into the wrong hands and somebody turned it over to papa. It was so important that papa had to take it to Washington. That"s why he came home unexpectedly last night; he planned to go this morning. He brought the letter home with him and locked it in his desk upstairs. This morning a Secret Service agent came out from Philadelphia to go along with papa and papa went to get the letter and it was gone."
"But what has Veronica----"
Agony drew another long breath and hastened on. "Why, papa says that Veronica asked to use the telephone in the study last night, and she was in there a long time alone, and soon afterward she disappeared from the party. The letter was in his desk when she went in there; n.o.body else went in after her. It looks as though she took it, and the Secret Service man arrested her."
"But I thought Veronica was upstairs in bed!" gasped Sahwah.
"She came over to our house about nine o"clock this morning," said Agony, "and told us about Nyoda"s husband being injured and her going away in such a hurry. She was downstairs with me when papa discovered that the letter was gone, and the agent arrested her right away."
Sahwah"s head was in a whirl, and she sat down weakly on the stairs.
Then she raised her head and said with a flash of spirit, "Veronica never took any letter out of your father"s desk! I don"t believe it!
Whatever would she want with such a thing as that?"
"But," continued Agony, "don"t you see? This Prince Karl Augustus of Hohenburg is a friend of hers, she played for him and his wife gave her a ring! She"s taken that letter away so it can"t be used in the trial to prove that he was connected with the business!"
"I don"t believe it!" said Sahwah flatly. Her blood rose to fighting pitch even while her heart misgave her. "Agony Wing," she raged, "do you think for a moment that Veronica would have anything to do with enemy agents? What if she did know that old prince. She didn"t like him. Do you think she"d steal letters for him?"
"It does seem awfully odd," said Agony, "the fuss she always made about wanting to be an American. Papa could hardly believe it of her, either, but the Secret Service man and Mr. Prince are perfectly sure she did it."