CHAPTER XV. THE DETECTIVE DETECTED
One Monday, at high noon, the pretty Miss Selenski was married in theHungarian church and her four new friends were among the many foreignwomen who came to wish their kindly neighbor much happiness in her newlife.
Gloria had been pleased with the earnest face of the man who had won thelove of little Miss Selenski, and when the smiling pair rode away on anautomobile delivery truck, which was their very own, the Vandergriftgirls, with Nell Wiggin, stood on a crowded street corner and waved andnodded, promising that very soon they would visit the little home, with ayard around it, that was out near the woodsy Bronx Park.
Bobs at the last moment had tied an old shoe to the back of the truckwith a white ribbon, and there it hung dangling and bobbing in a mannermost festive, while through a small hole in the sole of it a stream ofrice trickled, but in the thronging, surging masses of East Side humanitythis little drama was scarcely noticed.
When Mr. and Mrs. Cheniska had disappeared up Third Avenue, Gloria turnedto smile at little Nell Wiggin.
"Now, let us make haste to get your new apartment in order that you maywire your brother to come at once; that is, if a wire will reach him."
"Yes, indeed it will, and he is eagerly awaiting it," Nell happilyreplied. "Since our foster-father's death my brother has been living intown with the missionary of whom I told you, the one who used to visitthe remote farms and who brought my brother, years ago, his first book ofpoetry. They have been close friends ever since."
But when the girls reached the little apartment, they found that therewas nothing to be done. It was in perfect order, and the thoughtful bridehad even left part of her wedding flowers that they might be there towelcome the new agent of the model tenements.
"There seems to be nothing to do here," beamingly Miss Wiggin said."Perhaps I would better go at once to my room and pack."
"I will go with you and help," Bobs told her.
"Then both of you come to the Pensinger mansion for lunch," Lena Maysuggested.
"What did you do about notifying Mr. Queerwitz?" Bobs inquired an hourlater as the two girls started down Fourth Avenue toward the basementhome of Nell Wiggin.
"Nothing as yet. That is, I merely telephoned that I would not be theretoday. I suppose I will have to give two weeks' notice. Let us go thereat once and I will do so."
When the two girls entered the Queerwitz Antique Shop, Miss Peerwinkleseemed to be much excited because of their arrival and, hastening to therear door, which was labeled "No Admittance," she gave three sharp rapsand then hurried back and took up her post near the front door, as thoughto prevent escape in that direction.
Bobs looked all around, wondering if there was a customer in the storewho was being watched, but she and Nell seemed to be the only otheroccupants of the place. To add to the mysteriousness, Miss HarrietDingley, upon receiving a nod from the head lady, walked to the entranceof the cloakroom, deliberately turned the key and put it in her pocket.
Bobs, always on the alert, noted all this and marveled at it. Surely NellWiggin had done nothing to arouse the suspicion of Mr. Queerwitz! Then,suddenly, a very possible solution of the mystery flashed into Roberta'sconsciousness.
Undoubtedly Mr. Queerwitz suspected that the late Miss Dolittle hadsomething to do with the disappearance, reappearance and subsequent saleof the rare old book. She well knew how enraged the grasping shopkeeperwould be if he learned that he had received only half as much for thesecond volume as had been paid by Mr. Van Loon for the first, and if thatgentleman had described the girl who had sold the book to him! Bobsactually smiled as she thought, "I guess I'm trapped all right. A finedetective I would make when I never even thought to wear a disguise.Well, the game's up!"
She knew that she ought to feel troubled when she saw Mr. Queerwitzemerge from his secret sanctum and approach her, looking about asfriendly as a thunder cloud, but, instead, that irrepressible girl feltamused as though she were embarking upon another interesting adventure,and she actually smiled to greet him. Bobs was depending upon her naturalquick-wittedness to save her from whatever avalanche of wrath was aboutto descend upon her.
She had glanced beyond the man, then suddenly she stared as though amazedat what she saw back of him. The shopkeeper, noting this, turned andobserved that in his haste he had neglected to latch the door labeled "NoAdmittance," and that a draught of air had opened it.
Beyond plainly were seen several workmen engaged in making antiquefurniture. Mr. Queerwitz looked sharply at the girl, trying to learn, ifpossible, how much of his secret had been revealed to her.
His anger increased when he saw that her eyes were laughing. "Whatpuzzles me," she was saying, innocently, "is how you can make things lookworm-eaten as well as time-worn."
Whatever accusations might have been on the lips of Mr. Queerwitz when heapproached Roberta, they were never uttered. Instead he turned and walkedrapidly back to his workshop and closed the door, none too quietly, butin a manner that seemed to convince Miss Peerwinkle that she and MissDingley need no longer guard the entrances.
How Bobs wanted to laugh, but instead she walked over to Nell Wiggin, whohad been collecting the few things that she had at the shop.
"Have you given notice?" Roberta inquired.
"I wrote a note and asked Miss Peerwinkle to give it to Mr. Queerwitz.Come, let us go."
Half an hour later Nell Wiggin was packing her few garments in asuitcase, while Roberta tied up the precious books. Two hours later thenew agent of the model tenements was established in the sunny apartmentand her row of red-bound books stood on one shelf of the built-inbookcase.
"Now I will wire my brother Dean that he may come as soon as he wishes;and oh, how I do hope that will be soon," Nell said as she happilysurveyed the pleasantest place that she had ever called home.
The message was sent when they were on their way to the Pensinger mansionfor lunch.
"I must not remain long," the new agent told Gloria, "for I promised Mrs.Doran-Ashley that I would be on duty at one."
Every little while during that noon meal Bobs would look up with laughingeyes. At last she told the cause of her mirth. "I am wondering what Mr.James Jewett thinks of his assistant detective," she remarked. "I am soglad that I gave the name Miss Dolittle. Now I can retire from theprofession without being traced."
"Oh, good, here comes the postman," Lena May declared as she rose andwent to the side door to meet the mail-carrier. Gloria looked up eagerly.She was always hoping that Gwendolyn would write. The letters that shehad sent to the Newport home of the schoolmate whom Gwendolyn had saidthat she was going to visit, had been returned, marked "Whereabouts notknown."
There were two letters and both were for Bobs. One was a bulging missivefrom her Long Island friend, Dick De Laney, but it was at the other thatthe girl stared as though in uncomprehending amazement. The cause of hervery evident astonishment was the printed return address in the upperleft-hand corner. It was "Fourth Avenue Branch, Burns Detective Agency."Then she glanced, still puzzled, at her own name, which was written, nottyped.
"Miss Roberta Vandergrift," she read aloud. Then suddenly she laughed,and looking up at the other girls who, all interest, were awaiting anexplanation of her queer conduct, she exclaimed: "The amateur detectivehas been detected, but how under the shining heavens did Mr. James Jewettknow that my name wasn't Miss Dolittle?"
Gloria smiled. "You haven't much faith, it would seem, in his ability asa detective. What has he written, Bobs?"
There were few words in the message:
"Miss Vandergrift, please report at this office at once, as we have needof your services. Signed. J. G. Jewett."
"Well, I'll be flabbergasted!" Roberta ejaculated. "But I must confess Iam curious, and so I will immediately, if not sooner, hie me down thatway. Wait a jiff, Miss Wiggin. I'll walk along with you."
When Roberta and Nell were gone, Gloria found the bulging letter fromBobs' oldest friend, Di
ck De Laney, lying on the table unopened. The girlwho was so loved by that faithful lad had quite forgotten it in her newinterests. Gloria sighed. "Poor Dick," she said to Lena May as she placedthe letter on a mantel, "I wish he did not care so much for Roberta, forI fear that she does not really care for him."
True it was that at that particular moment Bobs was far more interestedin learning what Mr. Jewett had to tell her than in any message that aletter from Dick might contain.