CHAPTER XI
AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR
So anxious was Leslie to impart this newest development to Phyllis thatmorning, that she ate no breakfast at all, a departure which worried MissMarcia not a little. But Leslie was out of the house and off the momentshe had finished washing the dishes.
It was some time before she could locate her companion, as the Kelvinshad gone off early on a fishing expedition a short way up the inlet,having persuaded Phyllis to join them, a thing she had done but little oflate. After a long walk and much halloo-ing, however, Leslie sightedtheir boat. And it took considerable time before she could persuadePhyllis to come ashore, as she could not very well impart to her,standing on the bank, that she had news of vital importance concerningtheir secret.
When Phyllis had at last been lured ashore and the two had walked awayout of sight, she told the tale of her curious experience at dawn.
"And now, Phyllis, what do you make of it?" she demanded, wide eyed.
"There's only one thing to make of it," returned Phyllis, gravely, "Andthat is--there's some one else mixed up in this--some one we haven'tknown about or counted on at all! I thought Miss Ramsay, all along, wasthe only one concerned in it. Now we can only guess that that isn't so.But how to make head or tail of the whole thing is beyond me. What kindof a man did you say he was?"
Leslie described him again. "Of course, it was still hardly light and Icouldn't see him plainly at all," she ended. "I never even got a glimpseof his face, nor how he was dressed. But he was tall and broad-shouldered,and I think stooped a little and walked with quite a decided limp."
"That last fact ought to help to identify him, if nothing else," musedPhyllis. "But I confess I'm more at sea than ever about the whole thing.I was beginning to think I'd reduced things to some kind of a theory, butthis upsets everything. And it annoys me so to think I'm always out ofit, being so far away from Curlew's Nest. I do believe I'll have to comeand spend my nights with you or I'll never be on the scene of action atthe most interesting time!"
"Oh, I _do_ wish you would!" urged Leslie, earnestly. "I'm reallybeginning to be quite nervous about all this. It's so uncanny, not beingable to say a word about it to Aunt Marcia or any one--being all alonethere, or as good as alone, when these queer things happen. Don't yousuppose we could arrange it somehow that you could come over and staywith me--without having it seem odd or out of the way to the others?"
They both thought hard over the problem for a moment. Suddenly Phylliscried,--"I have it--I think! I heard Father and Ted planning to-day to beoff fishing to-night, and as many nights after as the conditions aregood. They just adore that kind of thing and have done very little of itthis time. As a rule, I don't mind a bit staying alone at the bungalow ifI don't happen to go with them. But I've never before had the excuse ofhaving you here to be with. It will seem perfectly natural for me to saythat, as they're to be away, I'll spend the night with you. How's that?"
"Oh, just the thing!" exclaimed Leslie, enthusiastically. "And now let'sgo back and take a swim. It's fairly mild and the best time of day forit. You left your suit at our house last time, so it's very convenient.You won't have to walk all the way back to your place."
They strolled back to Rest Haven in a leisurely fashion and had justturned the corner of the house and come in sight of the front veranda,when what they saw there almost took them off their feet. On the verandasat Aunt Marcia, rocking comfortably back and forth, and opposite her, inanother rocker sat--could their eyes have deceived them?--who but theredoubtable _Miss Ramsay!_
She was dressed as they had seen her in the village store, and she waschatting, with an appearance of the greatest affability, with MissMarcia. The two girls stared at her in ill-concealed amazement--soill-concealed, in fact, that even Miss Marcia noticed it.
"Miss Ramsay and I have been getting acquainted while we waited for youto come back," she remarked, somewhat bewildered by their speechlessconsternation. "She says she made your acquaintance at Aunt Sally Blake'sin the village, where she is boarding."
"Oh--er, yes!" stuttered Phyllis, remembering her manners. "It's verypleasant to see you here, Miss--Ramsay. I see you are acquainted withMiss Crane. This is Miss Leslie Crane her niece."
Leslie bowed and murmured something inarticulate, but Miss Ramsay wasaffable to a degree. "I drove over to your cottage first, Miss Kelvin,"she chatted on, after her introduction, "with some eggs Aunt Sallypromised you. She was going to send them by the butcher boy, but he didnot stop this morning, so, as I was going out, I offered to take them.But I found no one at your place, so I came on here, introduced myself toMiss Crane, and we've been having a nice time together."
The astonishment of the girls at this amazing change of front in thedifficult Miss Ramsay was beyond all expression. Her intonation wasslightly English, her manner charming. They had not dreamed that shecould be so attractive. And so fresh and pretty was she that she was areal delight to look upon.
"What delightful little cottages these are!" she went on. "They look soattractive from the outside. I'm sure they must be equally so from theinside. We have nothing quite on this style in England, where I camefrom."
"Wouldn't you like to go through ours?" asked Miss Marcia, hospitably."Leslie, take Miss Ramsay through. Perhaps she will be interested to seethe interior."
"Oh, I'll be delighted!" exclaimed Miss Ramsay, and rose to accompanyLeslie.
It did not take them long to make the round of Rest Haven. Rather to herhostess's astonishment, the girl seemed more enthusiastic over Leslie'sroom than any of the others and lingered there the longest, though it wasby no means the most attractive.
"What a wonderful view you have of the sea!" she said. And then shestrolled to the other window and looked out, long and curiously. "That'san interesting little cottage next door," she remarked presently. "Isit--is it just like this one?"
"Why no. It's larger and differently arranged and furnished moreelaborately, too, I--I believe," faltered Leslie, hoping she had notappeared to know too much about it.
"I wonder if we could go through it?" went on the visitor. "I--I justlove to see what these little seashore places look like. They're sodifferent from ours."
"Oh, I hardly think so!" cried Leslie. "You see it's all locked up forthe winter, and Mrs. Danforth, who owns it, has the key."
The girl looked at her intently. "And there's no other way, I suppose,beside the front door?"
"How should I know?" countered Leslie, suddenly on her guard. "If there_were_ would it be right to try it, do you think? Wouldn't it be too muchlike trespassing?"
"Oh, of course!" laughed Miss Ramsay. "I only meant that it would be funto look it over, if there were any proper way of doing so. You see,Grandfather and I might be here another summer and I'd just love to renta little cottage like either one of these two."
She turned away from the window and they sauntered out of the room andback to the veranda.
"And now that you've seen Leslie's bungalow, you must run over and seeours, especially as it was at ours you at first intended to call!" saidPhyllis. "Come along, Leslie, and we'll show Miss Ramsay over Fisherman'sLuck!"
It struck the girls that Miss Ramsay showed a trifle less enthusiasmabout returning to the other cottage. Still, she agreed, with a fairassumption of polite interest, and they tramped back along the beach,chatting agreeably.
But she showed very genuine pleasure in the entirely different appearanceof Phyllis's abode, and a large surprise at the presence of a grand pianoin so unusual a place. And when Leslie had informed her of Phyllis'stalent she eagerly demanded that they be given an immediate concert.
And it was Phyllis's sudden whim to render a very charming and touchingprogram, ending with the Chopin "Berceuse." The music died away in ahushed chord, and Leslie, who had been gazing out at the ocean during itsrendering, was astonished when she looked around to see the visitorfurtively wiping away a few tears.
"I'm a perfect
goose about some kinds of music!" she mutteredapologetically, and then, abruptly, "Won't you two girls please call meEileen? I'm so lonely here and I haven't any friends and--and--I'd liketo see you often."
And then the impulsive Phyllis put a comradely arm about her shoulder."Just come as often as you like. We'll always be delighted to see you.I'm sure we three can have a jolly time together. And be sure to call usby our first names, too."
"Thank you, Phyllis and Leslie," she said simply. "You are more than kindto me. But I must be getting back now. It's most time for me to go to thehospital to see Grandfather. He's _so_ ill, and I'm so worried abouthim!" Again the tears came into her eyes. "But good-by! I'm coming overto-morrow with the car to take you all out for a spin!" And she was gone,running down the path to where she had parked the car.
When they were alone, the two girls looked at one another.
"It's the most amazing thing I ever heard of--this change in her!"marveled Phyllis. "Have you the slightest idea what has caused it?"
"I think I have," answered Leslie, and she told of the girl's curiousconduct when she was being shown through Rest Haven. "I believe she had apurpose in coming here--she may have thought she could find out somethingfrom us. And she certainly thought she might get into Curlew's Nest,though I don't believe for a minute the reason she gave was the only one.I think she didn't particularly want to go to see your place, either, butwhen she got here she liked it."
"Yes, and I like her--strange as you may think it!" declared Phyllis."I've quite changed my mind about her. Do you know, I think that girl ishaving a whole lot of trouble, somehow or other--trouble she can't tellus about. What the mystery is and how it is connected with that cottage,I don't see. But I do believe that she likes _us_, and if we're evergoing to solve this mystery at all, it will probably be through her."
"Shall we--do you think we ought to--give her the Dragon's Secret?"faltered Leslie.
"I certainly do _not_--at least not yet! I'll wait till I know a fewthings more before I make a move like that!" declared the emphaticPhyllis. "And now come along and let's have our swim."