CHAPTER XIII AN IMPORTANT REQUEST
Doris and Kitty spent an unpleasant night in the right wing, for, as theyhad anticipated, the weird noises began shortly after they had retired.Once, hearing footsteps near their door, they clutched each other in anagony of fear, but the sound soon died away. They were on the verge offalling asleep when a strange noise from a distant part of the wingroused them into wakefulness.
"This is terrible!" Kitty whispered. "What can be going on in thisdreadful house?"
"Perhaps it's only Cora or Henry astir," Doris suggested, but theexplanation did not satisfy her, and Kitty refused to be comforted by it.
For long hours the girls lay awake, but once asleep nothing disturbedthem and they awoke in the morning feeling refreshed in spite of theharrowing night.
"It's always something of a surprise each morning when I wake up and findI'm still alive," Kitty laughed.
At breakfast Iris chanced to remark that an old croquet set had beenstored in the attic and Doris and Kitty asked if they might use it.
"Certainly," Iris assured them. "I'll get it out of the attic for you."
"Oh, let us get it ourselves," Doris begged. "I just love to poke aroundin attics. It's on the third floor above our wing, isn't it?"
Azalea and Iris exchanged quick, startled glances.
"Oh, no," Iris returned hastily. "The attic is in the left wing."
"But I thought there was a floor above our bedroom," Doris said, somewhatpuzzled. "We've been hearing such queer noises at night."
"Mice undoubtedly," Azalea explained and arose from the table. "If youwant to see the attic, come with me."
They went to the kitchen for a lantern and then mounted the stairs to thethird floor above the left wing. Azalea unlocked the door and told themto look about as much as they liked.
After Azalea had gone back down stairs, Doris whispered to her chum:
"Didn't you think the twins acted funny when I asked about the thirdfloor on our wing?"
"Yes, I did, Doris. They switched the subject, too."
The attic was something of a disappointment, for it was very clean andtidy. A number of boxes lined the walls, but each was plainly labeled asto its contents. Flashing the lantern about, the girls saw that theycontained blankets, woolens, old clothing, and numerous other articles.
"Nothing very exciting here," Kitty said. "It isn't any fun poking intoboxes when they're all labeled. I wish the Misses Gates weren't such goodhousekeepers."
Doris had found the croquet set and, with Kitty's help, dragged it outinto the light.
"We may as well take it down into the yard and have a game," shesuggested.
"I suppose so," Kitty agreed. "I'd hoped we might stumble upon somethinginteresting here, but I guess there's no chance of it. You know, Doris,I've read about folks finding false bottom trunks and things like that intheir attics."
"I guess it happens only in stories. Anyway, I don't see any trunk here.If there's an attic above the right wing, I'll bet it's more interestingthan this one."
Locking the attic door, the girls took the croquet set down to the frontlawn and set up the arches. They played three games, Doris going down inignoble defeat.
"Croquet isn't my game," she laughed. "I'd rather wield a tennis racquetthan a mallet."
Soon tiring of the sport they amused themselves by throwing a rubber ballto Wags who would pick it up in his mouth and return it to them.
Presently Iris and Azalea brought their sewing and came out to sit in theswing. They watched the girls for a time and then Iris called to them.
"Perhaps you would like to hear the rest of the story we were telling youthe other day?" she asked.
"Yes, indeed," Doris declared.
"I'm afraid we're only boring you," Azalea murmured. "We have no desireto inflict our troubles upon you."
"Oh, but you aren't," Doris assured her. "We're both very muchinterested."
Leaving Wags to his own devices, the girls sat down in the swing besidethe Misses Gates.
"You go on with the story," Azalea murmured.
Iris did not begin at once but sat for some minutes gazing away. At last,with a sigh, she forced herself to take up the broken threads.
"For thirty-two years after John Trent left, we heard no word from him,"she said sadly. "Often we wondered what might have become of him. Atfirst we thought perhaps he would write to one of us--at least to tell usthat he was sorry for everything that had happened."
"And he didn't?" Doris asked.
"No, to this day our only message has been through his son. You mayimagine our joy when Ronald came to see us here at the mansion. Heresembles his mother more than his father, it seems, so we did notrecognize him."
Kitty and Doris exchanged odd glances but Iris did not notice.
"Ronald told us that his father was dead," she continued in a low voice."His wife had died before him, so Ronald was his heir. Before John passedaway, he begged Ronald to return to Rumson and find the lovely MissesGates. Those were his very words! 'Do all in your power to make themhappy,' he said."
Here Iris paused to wipe her eyes.
"It was very dear of him to think of us at the last," Azalea said softly,"and very kind of his son to come this far with the message. Heremembered us in a material way, too."
"Yes," Iris went on bravely. "It seems, that after John left Rumson heaccumulated a large fortune. He willed three-quarters of the estate tohis son--which was as it should be--and the remaining quarter to Azaleaand myself, to be divided equally."
"How considerate," Doris murmured.
"Yes," Iris agreed, "and just at this time the money will come in handy.You see, since Father died the estate has dwindled. We have thisproperty, of course, but very little ready money."
"Unfortunately, we shall not be able to get our inheritance for sometime," Azalea explained. "There are certain legal complications which Ido not entirely understand. There seems to have been some tangle aboutidentifying poor John's body at the time of his death and the estate istied up."
"Of course we shall get the money in the end," Iris declared, "but rightnow there are a number of attorney's fees to be met. Ronald is entirelywithout funds, so it was natural that he should come to us."
"You gave him money?" Doris asked, although she thought she knew theanswer.
"Yes, we loaned him what we had, but our funds are running low," Azaleatold her. "It isn't as if we were actually giving him the money, for inthe end every one will be rich."
"Ronald says he will pay us back when the estate is settled," Iris added.
Doris and Kitty were so taken by surprise that for a minute they couldthink of nothing to say. The twins looked at each other in an embarrassedway, and it was evident that they scarcely knew how to go on.
"Unless we can raise money to meet the necessary attorney's fees, we willlose our inheritance," Azalea said. "We have nothing of value we can sellexcept this mansion, and we are too old to leave it after having livedhere all these years.
"Ronald has been so impatient at our reluctance to do anything. Dear boy!One scarcely can blame him, for his fortune, too, is at stake, and hedoes not understand how low our funds are." Iris hesitated as shefinished lamely, "And so, after hours of debate, we decided that for thesake of your own uncle, Doris, we would ask you for money."
"Of course you understand we intend to will everything to you at ourdeath," Azalea added hastily. "It will be your own uncle's money, so itwill be entirely a family affair."
"That is why you invited me here?" Doris stammered.
"Yes," Iris told her. "You will help us, won't you?"
Doris did not know what to reply; in fact, the request left her a trifledazed. She remembered that Marshmallow had jokingly told her the MissesGates might ask for money, but she had not considered the matterseriously. She actually had believed that she was being invited to LockedGates for the purpose of being informed of an inheritance of her own!What a
blow to her hopes!
"I really don't know what to say," she murmured. "I must confess I haveno idea how much money of my own I actually have."
"Of course this has all been very sudden," Iris said tactfully. "We can'texpect you to decide upon the instant, but after thinking it over, if youdecide you can spare the money, we shall be eternally grateful."
"Yes," continued Azalea, taking up the subject. Her sister sank back inthe big, old-fashioned rocker, like one in need of rest. "We realize theimportance of not neglecting this business a day longer. You willconsider it soon, won't you, Doris, dear?"
She, too, now leaned back in her chair with something of a sigh ofrelief, making Doris aware of the fact that her assistance was expectedand counted upon by her hostesses, who could from now on assume that shewould lift their burden permanently.
Just then Cora, without any warning of her approach, entered the room,carrying a number of letters and several newspapers. She glanced at thefaces of the thoughtful group, as though she were to be asked to remain,should her advice or assistance be required. However, they were soabsorbed in what they had been discussing that they did not notice Cora'sbeing there, and, receiving no word of encouragement to remain, even fora moment, she bustled out of the door.
Wags bounded into the room, and came straight up to Doris, attempting tojump into her lap and to lick her hands and face caressingly.
Doris was glad of the interruption, for this gave her an opportunity toget up from her chair and shake the playful puppy off her lap.
As soon as she gracefully could do so, Doris excused herself and went toher room. She wished to be alone that she might think over what the twinshad told her.
"Can it be that I have made a mistake about Ronald Trent?" she askedherself.
After all, she had heard him say only that he was having trouble securingmoney from the two sisters. But why, if his motives were honest, was hein league with Cora and Henry Sully?
Doris admitted that the problem was too weighty for her to solve at once.