THE SUSPICION
Miss McMurtry and Betty had been alone together in one of the tents for
the past half hour. Not that this was in any way remarkable or at first
excited any suspicion, for the young woman and girl had become good
friends in the past weeks, often consulting with one another concerning
questions of camp life. Indeed Betty had been chiefly responsible for
bestowing on their guardian her pretty new title, although the name had
really developed from the suggestion first made by Mollie O'Neill and
later turned into a jest by her sister.
"Our Lady of the Hill" was now Miss McMurtry's title as guardian of the
Sunrise Camp. But because the expression was too long a one for
ordinary conversation, "Donna," the soft Italian word for "lady," was
more often substituted.
"I don't think I can be mistaken, Donna," Betty now returned seriously,
her face flushed and her gray eyes unusually grave. "I don't want you
to think I would make trouble in camp for all the world, as it is all
probably my fault, but Esther was with me and has the same impression I
have. She thought I ought to speak to you as a kind of warning to the
other girls. I wish you would let me call Esther."
Miss McMurtry agreed, frowning uncomfortably and resting her head on one
hand. Since outdoor life gives one whatever help is needed, she had
grown far less thin with her months of fresh air, her figure was less
angular, her expression less learned and her whole manner more like a
girl's than an old maid's. Possibly the gracious dignity of her new
title was also worth living up to.
"I must not be in too much of a hurry or too severe," she afterwards
murmured to herself, "but from the first I have been dreadfully afraid
of something like this."
Esther was discovered sitting with the other girls in a group
surrounding Polly, who had been reading aloud an old folk tale while the
others worked at their various hand crafts. Betty apologized for the
interruption in leaning over to whisper to Esther, but half guessed at
Polly's irritation as they hurried off together. However, if it could
be prevented, Polly was to hear of their trouble last of all!
And Polly, although not acknowledging it, was annoyed, for lately Betty
and Esther had seemed more intimate than she could ever have dreamed
they might be. Not that Betty appeared to feel any affection for the
older girl, but having heard through her of her father's illness they
had been drawn together by Esther's constant sympathy and devotion, and
although Mr. Ashton was now better Betty had not yet forgotten. Of
course Polly was not jealous, that would be too small minded and absurd,
only it was curious for her dearest friend to be sharing her secrets
with other persons than herself.
Inside the tent with their guardian, Esther was being more explicit in
her explanation than Betty had been.
"You see," she said, "I understand better about temptations of that kind
than Betty, because I have been brought up so differently, so when the
letter came I begged her to be particularly careful, and we hid it
together in a small lock-box in our tent. The strange thing is that the
letter is still there and the outside envelope, but the envelope in
which the package was enclosed I found crumpled up near Nan's cot when I
was cleaning this morning."
Miss McMurtry shook her head more cheerfully. "That isn't enough
evidence, children, to use against any human being! And just because
this poor Nan has one story against her, don't you think we ought to be
especially careful about adding another?"
Instead of replying at once Betty looked more miserable instead of less,
and then biting her lips for an instant answered steadily:
"Yes, you are quite right, Donna, and we won't say another word about
the loss. I am sorry and I confess a little disappointed, for father
wished us to have a party in honor of his being better, but the party
couldn't make us nearly as happy as this story would make us unhappy
once we allowed it to be told."
Miss McMurtry caught Betty's hand and kissed it unexpectedly. Betty was
spoiled, accepting love and good fortune too much as a matter of course,
but when it came to a question either of generosity or good breeding
Betty Ashton could always be counted upon.
However, Esther Clark was not so persuaded. "I am afraid Betty may be
angry with me and that you will be more uncomfortable, Miss McMurtry,"
she added after a moment's hesitation. "But this is not all the
evidence we have. You see Mollie told us yesterday that just the next
day after we girls made our trip to town and returned with the mail, she
came across Nan in our tent with Betty's bunch of keys in her hand. It
is true that Betty had left her keys out on the table, but I don't see
what Nan could have wanted with them?"
"She told Mollie that she wanted to peep in my trunk to look at a dress
I have because she wanted some day to make herself one like it and did
not know just how," Betty interposed, using no effort to hide the tears
that had been gathering in her gray eyes and were now coursing down her
cheeks. "Oh dear me, I do wish I had not brought the wretched money into
camp, for I promised Polly I would not put temptation in Nan's way and
she will be dreadfully cross with me if she hears!"
"I don't think you should blame yourself, dear," Miss McMurtry
interrupted, drawing Betty closer to her and looking almost ready to cry
herself as they both turned toward Esther for advice. For somehow
Esther might have a shy and awkward personality and not seem of much
importance when things were going happily, yet in sorrow or difficulty,
insensibly her gravity and unselfishness counted.
"Don't you think we had better send for Nan and let her offer us some
explanation," Esther unhesitatingly suggested, "perhaps she will be able
to make everything clear?"
Miss McMurtry and, Betty were both silent and Betty moved quietly toward
the opening of the tent. "You really will have to let me go away," she
pleaded, "for I can't stand up and accuse one of our own Camp Fire girls
of having--" Her sentence remained unfinished, but Miss McMurtry was
able to catch hold of her skirt. "You can't leave us in the lurch,
Betty, child, though I do understand your feelings, you must stand by to
help Esther and me out. Certainly we shall not accuse poor Nan of
anything, merely ask her a question. Esther, will you find her for us?"
Betty smiled tearfully as Esther went away on the errand, wondering if
this time Miss Martha feared to trust her.
Ten minutes passed and then fifteen and yet neither Esther nor Nan
appeared. Finally, however, Esther returned looking unusually angry and
crestfallen. "Nan says she won't come until Polly has finished the
story she is reading, and that probably may take another half hour," she
reported. "I told her that you wished her particularly, Miss McMurtry,
and waited as long as I could, but she showed no sign of obeying."
"That isn't true, or at least it is only half true, which is as bad," a
voice declared at this instant at Esther's elbow, and Nan Graham pushed
her way saucily into the tent, rather pleased at making serious Esther
flush with displeasure. But at the sight of Betty, whom she always
admired, and their guardian, whom she a little feared, her expression
became less bold and, indeed, before any one spoke the girl's face had a
strange look of guilt. Why else should she toss her head and bridle so
unnecessarily, why stare into Miss McMurtry's eyes with her own hard and
defiant, even while her lips trembled with nervousness?
"I haven't done anything; what do you want with me?" she asked quickly.
"No, Nan, we only want to ask you a question," Miss McMurtry answered,
speaking as gently as she knew how. "Would you mind telling us what you
were doing with Betty Ashton's keys the other afternoon and how you
happened to get hold of them?"
"I didn't have her keys, that's a lie," Nan returned fiercely, taken off
her guard and using a word she had always been accustomed to hear in her
home.
To save the situation Betty came quickly forward. "Please don't say
that, Nan," she begged, "for Mollie has already told us you merely
wanted to look at my blue dress and that was quite all right. But if
you deny it, why--"
"Why what?" Nan demanded sullenly, her black eyes on the ground and her
face, which had turned a healthier color with her weeks in the woods,
now white and drawn.
"Why we might not believe you when asking a more important question,"
Miss McMurtry said sternly, angered in spite of herself by the girl's
disagreeable manner. "How many times have I told you that when people
are untruthful about little things one does not believe them in large.
The fact is that Betty has lost a large sum of money and--"
"And you believe I stole it!" Nan burst into such a violent storm of
weeping at this suggestion that Betty for the first time in their
acquaintance actually put her arm about her.
"No, we don't believe you took it just because it has vanished," she
whispered comfortingly, casting appealing glances at her guardian and
Esther, "only we want to ask you to try to help us find out about it. I
wouldn't be in the least surprised if it should turn up again!"
Neither Miss McMurtry nor Esther spoke, but Nan was not to be so
appeased.
"I am sure you are very kind to give me this opportunity to put your old
money back," she answered bitterly, "but as I did not take it I should
find that pretty difficult. I didn't even know you had any money,
although I confess I did look into your trunk when perhaps I ought to
have asked permission and I did take out an old blouse, but I was sorry
the next minute and put it back again. But I expect I might as well
have kept it and anything else I could lay my hands on. It is the old
story, if a girl does a wrong thing once no one ever believes in her
when she tries to be straight again. I suppose you will be telling your
suspicion to Polly O'Neill and the other girls so they won't let me stay
any longer in camp. I don't care, I am innocent!" Nan's voice rose to a
shrill cry of protest, but in spite of this there was a note of
sincerity in it that almost convinced Betty, although unfortunately the
effect was not the same upon Miss McMurtry and Esther.
"No one shall say anything against you, Nan, nor spread this story in
any possible way until more is found out," Miss McMurtry now remarked,
briefly dismissing them.