CHAPTER X The Secret Compartment
"Well, blow me down!" Madge exclaimed, relapsing into comic-strip slangas she always did when greatly excited. "A spring panel!"
Cara had rushed to her side and was staring wide-eyed at the secretcompartment revealed in the desk.
"There's something inside!" she cried. "Oh, I hope it's the pearls!"
Madge thrust her hand into the dark opening. Her face brightened as shefelt something not unlike a leather jewel case. She brought it to light,holding it up.
"Oh!" Cara exclaimed in disappointment. "It's nothing but an old book."
"A diary," Madge corrected. "Well, I guess it was too much to expect thatwe'd find the pearls. I suppose Miss Swenster knows about thiscompartment but let's ask her."
They stepped to the door and called. Miss Swenster answered from thekitchen, and later entered the study, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Look what we found in the desk," Madge said, handing her the diary. "Imust have touched a hidden spring when I was dusting. The panel fell downto reveal this."
Miss Swenster moved quickly to the desk, her face showing that theinformation astonished her.
"I never dreamed there was a secret compartment," she said. "This deskbelonged to Florence Swenster, you know."
"Then the diary may have been hers too," Madge observed.
Miss Swenster opened the little book and quickly ran through the yellowedpages. The writing was cramped and difficult to read.
"Yes, this is Florence's diary, I am sure of it. I have seen her writingon a number of old letters."
"I wonder why she hid her diary in such a strange place?" Cara mused.
"Oh, I imagine it was just a girl's desire for privacy," Miss Swensterreturned. "Florence was a queer one in a good many ways though. I'm sureshe never told anyone about this secret compartment."
She bent to examine it again. She closed the panel, hearing it click asit went firmly into place. But try as she would, she could not open itagain.
"I think I can," Madge offered. "I know about where my hand was when ittouched the spring."
Miss Swenster stepped aside and Madge moved her hand over the panelexploring its surface. At first she had no better success, then herfingers pressed the spring in just the right manner and the panel poppedopen.
"It takes a sideways pressure," she explained.
Cara and Miss Swenster both experimented until they had learned thesecret. In the meantime, Madge had picked up the diary and was studyingit curiously.
"I wonder--could Florence have written anything in here about thepearls?"
Miss Swenster regarded Madge with frank admiration and approval. At firstshe had thought the search for the pearls only a useless, amusing whim ofthe girls. Now she recognized that a sound idea lay behind Madge'sinvestigation.
"Why not read the diary?" she asked. "If Florence had any secrets tohide, it's time they were aired."
This suggestion suited the girls admirably. Immediately forgetting theirintention to return home early, they dropped down on the black plushsettee and were soon lost to the world. Miss Swenster went quietly backto the kitchen.
It was almost impossible at first to make out the cramped, fine writing.The girls laboriously studied out several paragraphs which weredisappointingly trite. Florence had recorded in detail her trips to thedressmakers, visits with relatives and parties attended.
Madge and Cara were becoming discouraged when they happened upon thefirst notation concerning the necklace. It read:
"I attracted unusual attention tonight when I wore the pearls to theAlstone's ball. How Rose envied me!"
Cara gave a little squeal of delight and hugged her chum.
"There's our proof that the pearls really did exist. The necklace wasn'ta myth as so many folks thought!"
"I hope she tells what became of it. Read on!"
For another half hour they delved into the diary, finding little ofinterest to reward their patience. Then they turned a page and read abrief item disclosing that Florence's jealousy of her sister was growingmore bitter.
"Rose is very sly," she had written. "She is ingratiating herself withfather, hoping that he will will her the pearls."
"She must have had a distorted view of things," Cara observed. "From allthat we've heard, Rose wasn't a bit designing."
Madge had turned on ahead in the diary; She gazed at her chum withstartled eyes.
"Why, that's almost the last notation. See all these blank pages."
"Just when it became interesting," Cara wailed.
"We're not quite through. There are a few more paragraphs scatteredthrough the diary."
She swiftly turned the pages. Cara leaned closer as they came to onebrief sentence. It read:
"Father died today."
For a full minute, the girls stared at the notation, trying to make moreof it. Then Cara burst out:
"Wouldn't you think she'd have written more about a thing like that? Nota word of his sickness or anything. While she'd fill page after page withdrivel."
"Perhaps she was too moved about his death."
"Maybe," Cara acknowledged doubtfully. "I'd quicker think she wasworrying about the pearls."
Before they could read on, Miss Swenster came into the study to say thatluncheon was ready. The girls sprang guiltily to their feet, declaringthat they could not stay.
"It's all right," their hostess assured them, smiling. "I've alreadytelephoned to your homes. And everything is on the table."
Miss Swenster was an excellent cook, and Madge and Cara who had healthy,growing appetites, did justice to her fine luncheon. However, they wereso excited over the diary that had they eaten bread and milk, they wouldnot have noticed. All during the meal they chattered gaily, telling MissSwenster everything they had discovered.
"We scarcely can wait until we read the rest," Cara laughed. "Oh, I'mjust sure Florence will tell what she did with the pearls."
Miss Swenster had tried hard not to allow the enthusiasm of her youngfriends to carry her away, but her cheeks were flushed and her eyesbrighter than the girls had even seen them. She fairly beamed as sheurged them to second helpings.
"I'll not count on the pearls until I see them," she said. "But, oh! Whatwouldn't I do if they should turn up!"
Cara and Madge glanced at her with curious interest.
"Just what would you do?" Madge asked.
"First, I'd reward you girls for finding them! Then I'd call off thatsale. I'd get a gardener again and have this place restored to its formercondition. Oh, I would do so many things."
It was the tone of Miss Swenster's voice that told Madge and Cara exactlyhow deep was her feeling for the old mansion. She had arranged her salewith business-like indifference to sentiment, but underneath, it hurt.
Madge made a silent resolution that she would never give up until thepearls were found. Surely, the old diary would furnish the clue sheneeded!
The girls helped with the dishes. The instant they had stacked them away,they hurried back to the study, burying themselves again in the diary.
"We're nearly at the end," Madge warned. "Hold your breath and hope."
She turned several blank pages, and then in an awed voice read aloud:
"'It was unfair of my father to will the pearls to Rose, though theaction did not surprise me greatly. I am determined she never shall wearthem! If I cannot have them myself, then I shall hide them where theynever will be found.'"
"Oh!" Cara breathed. "How mean!"
"Listen!" Madge commanded, reading on: "'I have taken only old UncleGeorge into my confidence and he has sworn that he will never tell. Lastnight, when everyone was abed we hid the pearls in the--'"
"Go on! Go on!"
"That's the end of the page."
In her eagerness, Madge fumbled the sheets. At last she managed to getthe page turned over, but as she stared down, she uttered a startledgasp.
"It's missing! The page th
at told about the pearls has been torn out!"