The Girls of Chequertrees
*CHAPTER XIV*
*CAROLINE MAKES A DISCOVERY*
Pamela was just dropping off to sleep that night when some one tapped onher bedroom door. She roused herself, and called out:
"Who's there?"
"May I come in a minute? It's only I--Caroline," the answer came in aloud whisper.
"Oh--yes--yes--come in," she said, sitting up, only half awake as yet.
Caroline came in, a lighted candle in her hand. She was fully dressed,and had not even untied her hair. She looked a bit scared and puzzled.Closing the door softly behind her she crossed to the side of Pamela'sbed.
"I'm sorry to disturb you," she said solemnly, "but I didn't think you'dbe in bed yet--I haven't even started to get undressed--I--I don't likethe look of my room!"
"Don't like the look of your room! Whatever do you mean, Caroline?"Pamela rubbed her eyes.
"Well, some one's been moving things. There are several things out oftheir usual places. I--I believe somebody has been in the room whilewe've been out to-day!"
Pamela was wide awake now.
"Oh, Caroline,--you don't mean burglars? There's nothing missing, isthere? Has anything been taken?"
"No. Not so far as I can see," replied Caroline. "But things have beendisturbed."
"I'll come in with you and have a look," said Pamela, springing up andhastily donning dressing-gown and slippers. "H'sh. We mustn't wake theothers unless it's necessary. They're all so tired."
"I didn't notice anything just at first," said Caroline, as they enteredher room.
"I don't notice anything now," remarked Pamela, looking round at theneat and orderly chamber.
"Wait a minute," said Caroline. "Look here--" and she pulled open oneof the drawers in her dressing-table.
"Well?" said Pamela, who could see nothing amiss with the contents ofthe drawer.
"Well!" echoed Caroline rather indignantly, "I never leave my drawerslike this. See--these gloves were folded together in that corner--andthese ribbons here--and I always keep my handkerchiefs on top of eachother at this side--These handkerchiefs are all arranged anyhow. I_know_ I didn't leave them like this! ... And look here--on themantelpiece--these photo frames have been shifted--and on this chair bythe window my brown scarf which I left folded on the seat was on thefloor!"
"Oh, come," said Pamela. "That might easily have slid off. The mainpoint is--is there anything missing?"
"Nothing so far," replied Caroline. "But some one _has_ been in heremoving my things--I'm certain of it. I know just the way I always leavemy belongings. I always put them in the same places and in the samepositions."
She seemed so positive that Pamela was silenced. Anyone else butCaroline would probably not have noticed that anything had beendisturbed in their room.
"Well--what shall we do?" said Pamela, who really thought that Carolinewas under a delusion. She couldn't see anything wrong with the room."If we wake everybody up we shall only scare them--it isn't as if you'dmissed anything. That would be a different matter. I suppose you'vesearched all over the room? Of course, you've made sure there's no onehiding here now?"
"Oh, yes," said Caroline; but to make doubly sure she and Pamelasearched again thoroughly. They looked in the wardrobe, behind thewardrobe, under the bed, behind the chest of drawers, and in and underevery likely and unlikely place in the room.
"Have you looked in the soap-dish?" said Pamela, jokingly.
But Caroline did not laugh; she continued her search solemnly. Suddenlyan exclamation from her made Pamela wheel round.
"Just fancy that!" said Caroline, still on her knees, after an attemptto look under the chest of drawers--a space of about six inches from theground. "Look here, Pamela! Here's my silver thimble! The one Icouldn't find--under the edge of the carpet beneath this chest ofdrawers. And I've looked everywhere for it--but here. It must haverolled off the back of the chest, and got wedged under the carpet."
"What luck! The search hasn't been wasted after all then," remarkedPamela, stifling a yawn.
"And it is my wish come true," said Caroline slowly.
"What! About the thimble! Is that what you wished?" cried Pamela.
"Yes," said Caroline. "I didn't know what else to wish--and I couldn'tfind my silver thimble that my grandmother gave me--so I thought I'dwish about that."
"I see," said Pamela, trying hard not to smile. "Well, your wish hascome true. You lucky girl! I only hope the rest of us are asfortunate."
After this Caroline reluctantly agreed to go to bed, and not to botherany further about the things in her room being disturbed until themorning, when Pamela promised to make full inquiries and sift the matterthoroughly. Pamela felt fairly certain in her own mind that no one hadbeen in Caroline's room or she would not have let the matter drop soeasily. Both girls being now very tired after their long day in townthey soon dropped into their beds and went off to sleep.
Caroline referred to the matter over breakfast in the morning, therebyincurring a great deal of attention and questioning from theothers--which made her feel quite important for once in a way. Carolinewas one of those people who could not usually attract much attentionfrom others, as she was unable to talk interestingly about things. Butthis morning she found she was actually being interesting; she liked thesensation, and meant to make the most of it.
While Pamela and Isobel discussed the matter with Caroline, Beryl, whohad turned very white, sat silent, her half-finished breakfast pushed onone side; she sat stirring her tea mechanically round and round--onlybreaking her silence once to ask Caroline if she had missed anything,and seemed relieved on hearing that Caroline had not.
"I suppose nobody else's room was disturbed in any way?" said Pamela,adding, "Mine was all right."
"So was mine," said Isobel.
"And mine," echoed Beryl, quickly.
"Well, we'll just go and ask Ellen if she can throw any light on thematter, shall we?" said Pamela. "She was the only inmate of this housewho was not up in London yesterday."
Ellen was very interested, but it did not seem as if she could help tosolve the question. She had certainly not been in the room herself; shehad left the house at the same time as they did yesterday, and when sheand Millicent Jackson--the friend with whom she had spent the day--hadcome in to fetch the umbrellas to bring to the station in the evening,they had not been upstairs at all. They had let themselves in at theback door, gone straight through to the hall, taken the umbrellas out ofthe stand, and gone out of the front door. They weren't in the housefive minutes, as they were in a hurry to get to the station in time.
"There, Caroline!" said Isobel. "You see nobody could have been in yourroom. You must have moved the things yourself."
But Caroline shook her head.
"Could anyone have slipped in the back door after you--without younoticing?" she asked Ellen.
"Oh, miss! Well--I never thought of that!" said Ellen, then hesitated."Of course, they could have, Miss Caroline--but it's most unlikely. Ifanyone had troubled to do that they would have taken something whilethey were about it, wouldn't they?"
Caroline shrugged her shoulders.
"All I know is--the things in my room were disturbed," she insisteddoggedly. "And I don't like it."
"How could anyone have slipped in without you seeing, Ellen?" inquiredPamela.
"Well, Miss Pamela, to be exact," explained Ellen, "me an' Millicentunlocked the back door and came in, shut the door, and went into thekitchen, where I struck a match and lit the candle that we keep on thedresser here. We didn't bother to light the gas as we was goingstraight through, and out the front way. Me an' Millicent was talking,interested-like, as we went into the hall, when Millicent says, 'Oh, didyou lock the back door again?' And I says, 'Oh, no.' And I went backand locked it.... Then we got the umbrellas and went straight out thefront way.... Now, _do_ you think anyone would have got in just in thatminute before I locked the back door, Miss Pame
la? Now _do_ you, MissCaroline?"
"It's just possible, of course, but not at all likely," said Pamela."Thanks very much, Ellen--as nothing has been missed, I really don't seeany use in pursuing the matter further, Caroline, do you? ... And it'ssuch a grand morning, let's all go for a good tramp over the hills."
So Pamela dismissed the incident from her mind; and Isobel, putting itdown to "one of the bees in old Caroline's bonnet," soon followed suit.Ellen and Martha discussed the matter together, and Ellen repeated herstory to Martha several times--each time with more emphasis than thelast; and when she next saw Millicent Jackson she mentioned it to her,and they talked of it until the subject was exhausted--then as nothingfurther happened to make them remember it, they too forgot it. Carolineremembered it as a grievance for a considerable time, then theexcitement of the coming bazaar caused it to fade into the background.The only one who did not forget the incident was Beryl, and she had goodreason to remember it--as we shall presently see.
After the visit to London a marked change seemed to come over Beryl;always pale and nervous, she appeared to grow even paler and morenervous as the days went by. At times she would emerge from the cloudof depression which seemed so often to envelop her now and joinlight-heartedly in whatever was going on, but these occasions grew moreand more rare.
When Pamela remarked on her paleness one day Beryl put it down to theweather, saying it made her feel tired. Pamela believed her; had shenot been so absorbed in Elizabeth Bagg and her work she might havenoticed things that would have aroused her suspicions; but she was notsuspicious in any way until one evening Beryl, very awkward andhesitating, asked Pamela if she would lend her a sovereign. Pamela didnot voice the surprise she showed in her face--surprise because thepocket-money handed over to each of them by Mr Sigglesthorne had beenquite generous and sufficient for the few expenses the girls would belikely to incur in Barrowfield during the remainder of their stay.However, she lent the money at once, and willingly, and asked noquestions--for which Beryl seemed very grateful.
Feeling a little uneasy about the matter, and wishing to help her ifpossible, Pamela made several opportunities for Beryl to confide in herif she had wished to do so. But Beryl did not seem to wish to do so.