"That is what I am trying to find out. You know it is my mystery; and, girls, I have it! This sliding writing shelf which we pulled out to write upon is really the floor of the cabinet, on which Tib deposited her treasures. When you pull it out you rake everything upon it into the drawer below."
"It must be," said Adelaide, "that some one pulled out that writing shelf before each of those mysterious disappearances." And when we came to review the circ.u.mstances, we remembered that it had been so in every instance. The lost money and essay had simply been dropped into the drawer below. All that had seemed so inexplicable was now made plain, and in our very last hour together--for, as we carried the fragments around to the turret door, we saw that the express man had come for our trunks, and noticed the Roseveldt carriage waiting behind a hansom, which had just driven up to the main entrance. On the steps Madame was parting tenderly from Miss Noakes, who was in travelling costume, and Mr. Mudge sprang from the interior of the hansom to a.s.sist her to a place beside him. Catching sight of his well-known features, Winnie impulsively waved the drawer of the cabinet and darted across the lawn.
"No wonder I could not discover the thief," he exclaimed testily, as Winnie showed the mechanism of the sliding shelf. "The cleverest detective could not have done that when there was no thief to discover.
But, my dear young lady, pray do not detain us; Miss Noakes and I have a particular engagement for this very minute at the Church of the Blessed Unity." As he spoke he dodged an old shoe which the astute Polo projected from the studio window, and springing into the hansom drove rapidly away.
If there had been any doubt as to these indications we would have been fully enlightened on finding the announcement of their marriage in our next mail; but the truth was evident to all.
Madame listened to us with a smile. "It was kind of you, Winnie," she said, "not to solve your mystery earlier and so take away the excuse for Mr. Mudge"s frequent calls."
"I shall have the dear old cabinet put in order again," Adelaide said, "and I shall keep your essay in the drawer, Winnie, for I shall always believe that you were right, and that there was a ghost."
And so with tears and embraces, and with vows never to forget, and to meet again, and to write often, the old delightful school life and Witch Winnie"s Mystery came to an end together.
THE END.