CHAPTER XXVIII
CAUGHT
It was lucky for Bess that Linda's father happened in at that moment,for Linda, in her rage at thus being found out, looked as though shewould like to tear her enemy limb from limb.
As for Cora, she gave one horrified look at Bess, burst into tears, andfled from the room.
Mr. Riggs, who was not at all the pompous, conceited man that the girlsat Lakeview Hall had come to think him, looked after Cora for a momentin surprise, then turned smilingly back to the two girls and asked Lindato introduce him to her friend.
For one electric moment it looked as though Linda were about to refuse.Then what little common sense she had coming to her rescue, she sullenlydid as she was bid and Mr. Riggs began to ask a few casual questions ofBess about how she liked Florida, if she had been there before, andother questions, which Bess answered mechanically. Her eyes were uponLinda as she stood at a window with her back to the room, her fingersbeating a nervous tattoo on the windowsill.
At last Bess managed to break away and was starting toward the door whenshe was surprised to find that Linda was following her.
The girl stopped her at the door, and Bess thought she had never seenany one as subdued and beaten as Linda looked at that moment.
"Please, Bess," she begged, lowering her voice so that her father wouldnot hear, "don't tell on me! No one at Lakeview Hall knows that I--I didthat. And no one will unless you tell them. Please, Bess!"
"N-no, I won't tell," said Bess hesitantly. "If was a horrible thing foryou to do, Linda, and Dr. Beulah ought to know. But I--I'm not atattle-tale."
Then she fled down the hall, down the stairs, and into her room again.
She told the story to the girls and Walter that night, and they listenedin amazement.
"Well!" said Grace. "And to think that Cora would be the one to giveLinda away."
"I don't know about promising not to tell Doctor Beulah," said Nanthoughtfully. "It seems to me she ought to know----"
"Well, you tell her then," suggested Rhoda.
"Oh, I couldn't!" Nan flashed back indignantly, and Rhoda laughed ather.
"You see!" she said.
"Well," sighed Grace, "it's of no use to worry about it now, anyway. Wecan't do a thing till we get back to Lakeview Hall."
When Mr. Mason came in that night they questioned him eagerly, but hehad no real news to tell them. He had been able to prove nothingdefinite against Jacob Pacomb, and as yet had found no trace of the menwho had so frightened Nan.
And Nan, away down in her heart, was still frightened, there could be nodoubt of that. The man had threatened her, had given her forty-eighthours to turn over the papers, and more than twenty-four hours of thattime had already passed! If they did not succeed in tracing thescoundrels and handing them over to justice in the next twenty-fourhours, what might not happen!
Both Rhoda and Grace shared her uneasiness, and lazy Bess grumbledmightily at the loss of sleep consequent upon it. There is no doubt butwhat the girls would have rested a great deal easier that night had theyknown that a house detective, well paid for his services, kept watchoutside Nan's door till dawn crept in at the windows.
"I wish both of the men were in Greenland," grumbled Bess.
"Yes, and without anything to eat or drink and freezing to death," addedRhoda.
"I can't understand why the authorities can't catch them," put in Grace."They have a very good description of them."
"Maybe they have left Florida," said Nan.
"Oh, if only they have," cried Bess. "But I am afraid there is no suchluck."
It was a weary-eyed quartette of girls that made its way down to thedining-room that morning, and breakfast was eaten in gloomy silence.
Walter eyed the girls with a mixture of humor and sympathy, and once heturned to his father with a grin.
"I say, Dad," he chuckled, "if something isn't done to-day about thisbusiness, I'm afraid the girls will be dead by night. They look halfgone already."
After breakfast they wandered into the lobby of the hotel to see ifthere was any mail for them. Nan had not heard from Papa Sherwood orMomsey for almost a week, and she was beginning to feel neglectedindeed. If only she could have them with her now, to advise and help herin this predicament!
"Here's a letter for you, Nan," Grace interrupted her rather unhappythoughts. "And here's another, with a Lakeview postmark. Must be fromone of the girls at school. One for you, too, Rhoda. Looks likeProcrastination's handwriting."
Just then Bess made a funny little sound, half gasp and halfexclamation, and they turned to her. Bess's face was white and her handshook as she grasped Nan's arm.
"Look at those men!" she whispered, and though it was only a whisper itwent through Nan like a knife. "Over there--crossing the lobby! Nan! Oh,what are you doing? Don't, Nan, he may shoot you! Nan!"
But Nan was already running across the lobby, unmindful of staring eyes,all her fear turned to anger at these men who dared appear in publicafter the cowardly attack they had made upon her. She darted in front ofthem and blocked their way, her eyes blazing and her body tense.
The short, fat man started at sight of her and drew back. But black ragedarkened his companion's face and he made a gesture as though to pushNan out of the way. He might have done it, too, and made his escapeeasily, for the curious people who had gathered in the lobby seemedparalyzed with amazement, had not Rhoda suddenly appeared at her chum'sside, a little flame of white-hot indignation.
"Don't dare touch her!" she cried fiercely. "You've doneenough--you--you----"
"Here, here, what's this?" asked an authoritative voice, and a big burlyman, an assistant manager of the hotel, pushed his way through thegathering crowd.
"These girls are crazy," cried the tall man, turning furiously upon thenewcomer, while his fat companion took out an immense silk handkerchiefand nervously wiped his forehead. "If you don't get them out of the wayand lock them up, I'll sue your place----"
"Officer, arrest those men!"
Clear and startling, the voice rang out above the confusion, and the twomen, without waiting to see who their new enemy was, made a dash for theopen door, which was still only defended by Nan and Rhoda.
But the hotel man was quicker than they. He sprang before them andpushed them back into the crowd, which opened to admit them and closedaround them again, making escape utterly impossible.
For a moment, Nan and Rhoda, left outside of the circle around the men,could see nothing of what happened. But presently Mr. Mason--it was hewho, coming suddenly upon the scene in the lobby, had demanded thearrest of the men--pushed his way through the crowd and beckoned to Nan.She went with him, and Rhoda followed close behind. Grace and Bess hadalready pushed their way into the crowd.
The house detective, who had been in consultation with Mr. Mason whenthe thing happened, had taken the two men into custody. The tall, thinscoundrel, who had appeared in Nan's dreams for many restless nights,stood there sullenly, glowering around fiercely at the curious faceswhile his companion used his handkerchief more vehemently and seemed tobe growing more nervous with every minute that passed.
"Can you swear that these are the men who attacked you in an orangegrove near here yesterday and demanded of you certain papers which werenot in your possession?" the detective gravely asked of Nan.
"Yes, sir," answered the girl eagerly. Walter had slipped up beside herand was holding her hand in a comforting grip, but she did not know it.
"Can you also testify that they have attempted to obtain possession ofthese papers at various other occasions during the last two or threeweeks?" the man went on, and this time Nan only nodded.
"Well," said the detective, turning grimly to his prisoners, while thecrowd, not having the slightest idea what the commotion was about, butwith a keen love of the dramatic, edged closer, "I reckon the littlelady's testimony is sufficient to send you two up for quite a littlevacation."
"Wait a minute, officer," whined the fat man, in spite of hiscompanion
's attempt to stop him. "You want Jacob Pacomb. He's the manwho got us into this mess."
"So you've turned stool pigeon, too, as well as crook?" drawled thedetective, while Nan and Mr. Mason exchanged a triumphant look. "Yes, Ireckon we do want Jacob Pacomb, too. We've been wanting him for a longwhile. But since this is the first chance we've had to get the goods onhim, we won't waste any time doing it. Will one of you gentlemen call upthe police station?"
Mr. Mason nodded, and the crowd opened to make way for him.
But at the mention of the police station, the fat man broke downcompletely and, evidently nursing some false hope that by telling all heknew he might get off easy himself, he babbled unceasingly until thepolice patrol drew up before the door. His companion stood off byhimself, with apparently no interest whatever in the proceedings.
"Fine," said the detective, rising and patting the short man on the backas two policemen made their way into the lobby and saluted him. "Now youcan tell the rest of your story to the judge. Will you come with us,sir?" he asked, turning to Mr. Mason as the policeman took the men incharge. "We may need your testimony to round up Jacob Pacomb."
Mr. Mason nodded, but paused for a moment on his way to the door tospeak to Nan.
"Everything's fine," he said, beaming down upon her. "We'll get thisPacomb where we want him, and then your troubles--and Mrs.Bragley's--will be over, Nan. Tell you all about it when I get back."
Nan smiled back at him, and then as the crowd, its curiosity satisfied,began to disperse, she sank down into one of the comfortable chairs andlooked weakly up at her excited chums. Then for the first time shenoticed Walter--and the fact that he was holding her hand.
"Where did you get it?" she asked.
"What?"
"My hand?"
Walter chuckled and answered slyly:
"I took it when you weren't looking."
She smiled at him weakly--but it was rather a satisfying smile.