CHAPTER XIX
RECOVERED TREASURE
Jan's secret must be shared with his chum, but both he and Nellpromised to keep it to themselves. For several days there were frequentreunions either at the Van Meter farm or that of the Clydes. The summerpromised to be a happy one.
Uncle Pieter said that he would have a new lock put on the attic door,but so far he had been too busy to attend to it. Vittoria had handedback the key which she had had from her mistress, the second Mrs. VanMeter. She had handed her savings to Mr. Van Meter, who took them to abank for her. Paulina, Jannet knew, from various remarks by that worthylady, still kept her savings at home, but no one knew just where, whichwas just as well. Then no one felt any responsibility. So Cousin Dianasaid. But it would be a shame if anything happened to that for whichPaulina had worked so long, and Jannet meant to speak to her uncleabout it,--some day.
The ghost had been discovered, but what had become of the pearls wasstill a mystery to Jannet. She felt that she knew Hepsy and Vittoria,Daphne, too, and others about the place who seldom came to the house,but of no one could she suspect the theft. Her lovely pearls! Shewondered that Uncle Pieter did not do something; but Uncle Pieter wasvery busy. Once when she was coming back from a ride, Uncle Pieter,also on his horse, rode up to her and asked, "Any sign of the pearls?"
"No sir," she replied.
"I will come to your room some day," said he, "and you shall show mewhere you found them."
That was all, and Jannet would have been impatient had she had any timeto become so, but there were too many pleasant plans afoot. She lovedthe place now and even without a horse to ride would have beenperfectly content. Early apples were ripe in the orchard and the younglambs on the hills were the prettiest things Jannet had ever seen, shethought. May was hurrying by very fast, and Jannet was several poundsheavier, especially since she had joined Jan in his more or lessfrequent visits to the kitchen. Jan pointed to fat Daphne in warning,but Uncle Pieter pinched her cheek lightly once in a while and remarkedthat a farm was better than a school for growing lasses.
The opening from the tool house to the ladder in the secret way hadbeen made into a stout door, secured on the inside by a bolt; but asburglars were almost unknown in these parts, Jannet began to feel aboutit as the rest of them did and never bothered to bolt her door atnight. She turned her key and looked to see that the panel was closedtightly and that was all. Bottle and wires had been taken from theattic and no sounds other than those made by an occasional squirreldisturbed the night.
One evening Jannet wrote somewhat later than she had intended, for shewas telling Miss Hilliard all about the mystery and the excitement.Could it be, Jannet thought, so short a time since she left the schooland came to Uncle Pieter's? But so much had happened! And she had madeherself such a part of the family, in these last days especially.Jannet felt very happy and told Miss Hilliard so, though she took careto say that not even her own family could ever take Miss Hilliard'splace in her heart.
"Perhaps I'll even find my pearls," she thought, as she slipped betweenher sheets and drew only a light blanket over her. She fell asleepthinking of school affairs, for Lina had just written that schoolclosed a little later than usual and would not be over till the secondweek in June. Uncle Pieter had said that she might have Lina to visither and she "would write to L"--, and her purpose drifted off into adream.
But a more gentle ghost was drifting toward Jannet, one as ignorant ofJannet as Jannet was of the ghost.
It was about the hour for ghosts, midnight, when an automobile turnedinto the drive from the main road and rolled rapidly up and around thehouse and even into the back part not far from the barns.
"I can't see a light anywhere," said the lady who sat with the driverand who was peering out with the greatest interest. "If it were not forthe trees and certain landmarks, I would think that we had driven intothe wrong place."
"Perhaps we have," suggested the other lady who sat behind.
"No, indeed. I am not mistaken, but I scarcely know what to do. If wehad not been so delayed,--I just meant to call, since I was sonear,--and I wanted to see--one or two things."
"If this were _my_ old home, I certainly would see what I wanted to,even if I waked somebody up. You are hopeless sometimes, my dear!"
The first lady laughed. "So I am. Well, I see that they have left theold house intact anyhow. Pieter said that he intended to do so. But youcan scarcely understand how I want to see it and how I do _not_ want tosee it. Come on, then, Francis, see me to the door, please, and Lydia,it is goodnight if I can get inside, though I may sit up until morning,thinking. I hope that you may be able to sleep in the village hotel. Iappreciate your sacrifice. But call for me after breakfast, unless Itelephone for you earlier."
"Please spare me unless you are in danger," replied the lady addressedas Lydia. "Perhaps it will be just as well if you can not get in."
No light appeared at any of the windows, though the visit of anautomobile might well have aroused some one. The lady and gentlemanwalked through the pergola and into the court to the front door, andthe lady drew a key from her purse. "Odd that you kept the keys allthese years," said the gentleman.
"Yes, isn't it?" the lady replied, trying the key. It turned, but therewas a bolt of some sort within. "There is another door, Francis," shesaid, and they walked around to the rear door, where another key wasinserted. "Honestly, my courage almost fails me, Francis."
"Why don't you ring, then, instead of getting in this foolish way?"
"I always was a little foolish, Francis, as you well know, and I amjust a little afraid to meet my--why, this lets me in, Francis. Now Ishall be safely inside till morning at least, and if I can reach myroom without meeting old P'lina, I shall gain courage from the oldbackground. Goodnight and thank you." The door closed and the mancalled Francis walked back to the car, entered it and drove away.
But none of them had seen a dark figure which kept to the shadows andwhich stood behind a tree when the lady entered the house. Waiting alittle, listening at the door, it, too, entered at the back of the oldhouse.
The lady, with a small flashlight, hurried rather breathlessly up theback stairs and stood smiling a little, hesitating between routes, andfingering a small bunch of keys. No one could see her smiles in thedark, to be sure, but by a sudden impulse she turned to the atticstairs, opened the door there and disappeared from the ken of the manlistening at the foot of the first flight. Stealthily he followed,occasionally letting the light in his hand fall before him. But he wasfamiliar with the place, it would have been evident to any one who hadseen him.
At the attic door, which stood ajar, he paused, looking within at thesmall light which proceeded a little slowly into the depths beyond.
"Mercy,--I had forgotten how dusty attics are!" he heard her say, asshe drew aside the carpet, which had been replaced, and opened the trapdoor. "Now, if only I don't break my neck!"
But the neck did not seem to be broken, for there was no sound of anycalamity as the light disappeared. The man then turned on his own lightand softly walked across the attic. But he sat down a few moments laterin the secret room, to wait, for he did not desire to be present whenfirst she entered the room below.
The panel opened without waking the quietly sleeping Jannet. The littleflashlight searched the lower regions of the room first, for possibleobstacles. It flashed on the rug, the desk, the little chair. Why,whose pretty slippers were those by the chair?
For a moment only the light flashed on the bed, with some of its coversneatly thrown back across its foot and the outline of some small personlying beneath sheet and blanket. How foolish she had been to think thather room would not be occupied!
Should she go back the way in which she had come? Once more she flashedher light upon the bed,--why this could almost have been herself indays gone by! Jannet's fair hair, her quiet, sweet young face, theslender hand under her cheek,--who _was_ this?
Tossing
aside the tight hat from her own fluffy golden crown of thickhair, the lady, startled, touched, found her way to the little electriclamp upon the desk and turned on the current. The room glowed a littlefrom the rosy shade. She tiptoed to the bed, bending over with lipsparted and amazed eyes.
The light, perhaps, or the presence, woke Jannet, still half in a dreamas she looked up into the face above her. Whose was it, so lovely withits surprised and tender smile? "Why, Mother," she softly said, "didyou come,--at last?"
"Dear heart!" exclaimed a low, musical voice. "It can't be true, canit? You are not my own little baby that I lost,--but you have a look ofDouglas! Who _are_ you?"
Jannet, her own amazement growing as she wakened more thoroughly,raised herself on her elbow, then sat up, and the lady reached for herhand. Jannet's other hand came to clasp more firmly the older one withits one flashing ring above a wedding ring. "I don't understand," shesaid. "I thought that you were my mother. See? You look just like herpicture, and I suppose that you are too young, then."
But the lady, whose breath came so quickly and who looked so eagerlyinto Jannet's eyes, did not follow them to the picture. "If the pictureis that of your mother, dear child, then I am your mother, for that ismy picture and this is the room that was mine. Oh, how cruel, my dear,that we have had to do without each other all these years!"
Jannet's arms went around her mother's neck as her mother clasped her,gently, yet possessively, and the sweetest feeling of rest came toJannet, though her throat choked some way, and she felt her mothercatching her breath and trying to control herself. Then her mother satdown on the bed beside her, holding Jannet off a moment to look at heragain. "I believe that this is heaven and we are both ghosts," saidJannet, half smiling and winking hard.
"Not a bit of it," said the other Jannet. "We are both as real as canbe, though we shall be real enough there some day, I hope. Your mouthhas a look of your father,--O Jannet! The tragedy of it!"
"Don't cry, Mother! I have so much to tell you,--"
"And I so much to ask. Have you been here all these years?"
"Oh, no,--just a few weeks. Uncle Pieter found me, and oh, we must tellUncle Pieter right away, because he feels so terribly about things hehas just found out, how you must have written and telegraphed to himand he never got the telegrams and letters!"
Jannet's mother looked at her in surprise. Her face had sobered at themention of her brother, but now she gave close attention to what Jannetwent on to explain. "I should have come," she said, "instead ofdepending on messages. But I was so ill."
A little knock drew their attention to the opening into the secretstairway, for Jannet senior had not touched the spring which wouldreplace the panel. There stood Uncle Pieter, but everything was sosurprising that this did not seem unnatural.
"Pardon me, Jannet," he said, "for following you. I was sleepless, andas I was taking a turn about the gardens I saw strangers, to allappearances, entering the house. I came to see what it meant, but bythe time you reached the attic I knew who it was. I sat in the secretchamber to wait for your surprise!"
Uncle Pieter was hesitating at the opening, but with a few steps hissister had reached him and extended her hand. Tears were in her eyes asshe said, "I am glad, Pieter, that what I have thought all these yearsis not true, and oh, how glad I am that you found this little girl forme! But I am in a daze just now. Can we have a talk? Where has thechild been, and what can you both tell me about my husband?"
"None of us can sleep, Jannet, till it is explained. I will call oldP'lina. She will want to be in this, and can make us some coffee. Getdressed, Jannet Junior, and bring your mother to the library."
How wonderful to have a pretty, young mother, that helped her into herclothes, kissed soundly the face that glowed from the application ofrose soap and water, and selected a pair of shoes for her from thecloset! But she was going to do things for her mother,--mostly.
They heard Mr. Van Meter rapping at Paulina's door and heard his rapidstride as he left the house, leaving it all alight as he went throughthe corridors on the way to the library. Paulina, all astonished andmore speechless than usual, came out of her room in time to meet Mrs.Eldon and Jannet as they started for the library. But Paulina held hermother's hand tightly, Jannet noticed, as they walked along thecorridor together. "Where've you been all this time Miss Jannet?"Paulina finally asked.
"In Europe, P'lina, studying, singing and giving some lessons myself.I'll tell you all about it very soon."
Mr. Van Meter was pacing up and down the library, as they could hearwhen they approached the open door. "Why, Pieter, you have made alovely place of this!" his sister exclaimed, taking the chair he drewup for her.
"Do you think so? Wait till you see all the old treasures I havefurbished up and put around in the old house. You will stay with us, Ihope. But I know how overcome you must feel to find this child, and Iwill tell first all that we have to explain, with Jannet's help."
Quietly they all sat in the comfortable library chairs, Jannet scarcelyable to take her eyes from her mother, while her uncle told all thatthey knew, soberly saying that his wife could "scarcely have beenherself" when she intercepted the messages. With a serious face, Mrs.Eldon listened to the account.
One pleasant little interlude occurred when Mr. Van Meter said thatJannet had not yet heard how he found her. "You would never guess it,my child," he said, and reached into his desk for a booklet tied withgay ribbons.
"Why, that's our annual 'Stars and Stripes,'" cried Jannet, recognizingit at once.
"The same," said her uncle. "One of our guests left it here in mylibrary and I idly picked it up one evening. Glancing through it, myeye fell on your picture first, then on your name, and I read yourhistory at once." Mr. Van Meter smiled as he handed the open book tohis sister.
"Is this 'Who's Who,' my daughter?" lightly asked Jannet's mother,taking the book and looking at the account on the page of photographsreproduced with a short account of each pupil.
"It is of our school, Mother, and those girls are all in my class."Wasn't it great that her mother had a sense of humor and was smilingover the booklet? But she began to read the account of her own childaloud:
"'Janet Eldon is one of the fixed stars in the firmament of our AlmaMater, and her brilliancy is of the first magnitude. She is thedaughter of Douglas Eldon and has her Scotch Janet from his mother'sside of the house. Janet came originally from the Buckeye state, butclaims Philadelphia as her real home. She sings and plays and enjoysour wild rides about Fairmount Park,--'"
Here Mrs. Eldon stopped. "No wonder that you looked Jannet up when youread that. It was providential!"
Mrs. Eldon's story supplied the rest of the explanation. She hadreturned from the hospital, after wondering why her husband did notcontinue his visits there, and realizing that he must be sick, to findsome one else in their little apartment and her trunks packed andstored. The woman in charge was shocked and startled upon seeing her,having been told that she had not lived through her illness. "Douglasmust have been delirious then," said Mrs. Eldon. "The poor boy wastaking his baby to his mother, he told the woman, and when she asked ifshe should pack up the things he 'thanked her kindly' and paid her, shesaid.
"Then I telegraphed and wrote, frantically. No word came from anyone. Isee now that Mother Eldon was in a strange place, at the hospital, andprobably had not yet arranged to have her mail forwarded, if she wasonly in the midst of her moving. She was seeing that my baby was pulledthrough, and very likely the final burial of my poor Douglas waspostponed, for I even found the name of the minister of their oldchurch and wrote to him about it. If he ever wrote to me, I was gone bythat time. Meanwhile I had traced another young father who had beentraveling about the same time with a sick baby that died. Kind peoplehad buried the little one, and the father had wandered from thehospital in the night and found a grave in the river." Mrs. Eldon didnot add to the sober look on Jannet's face by telling her that foryears flowers had been placed at Easter upon a tiny grave in the farWest
.
"I was ill again, and then friends that I had known in New York chancedupon me in Los Angeles. They urged an ocean voyage to strengthen me. Itwas Hawaii, then the East and then Europe and music and I have been inAmerica only a few weeks, coming to arrange for engagements."
"O Mother! I shall hear you sing!"
"And you shall sing yourself, perhaps."
"No, Jannet is going to be a missionary," smiled Uncle Pieter. "So shetold me."
But Mrs. Eldon only patted Jannet's hand and told her that it was anoble purpose. "We shall see about the future, my child, but I shallaccept your invitation to stay here, Pieter, for the present. I am notreal sure but all this is a dream."
Coffee, sandwiches and some of Daphne's latest triumph in the line ofwhite cake and frosting were brought in by old P'lina's capable hands,so glad to serve the older Jannet once more; and while they refreshedthemselves Jannet told her mother many things about her school and herdearest friends, Miss Hilliard, Miss Marcy and Lina in particular. "Wemust invite them all to come here as soon as school is out," said UnclePieter. "Miss Hilliard is Jannet's guardian and there will be things toarrange. I tried to trace what had become of what would have beenJannet's little fortune, but without success, of course."
"I had turned everything into available funds," said Mrs. Eldon, "butthere is still enough for us both."
There was a nap for them all after the little lunch. Then came theexciting morrow, with breakfast and the surprise of Cousin Andy, CousinDi and Jan, and later the visit of Mr. and Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Eldon'sfriends. Jannet almost shivered to think how nearly she had missedseeing her mother, as the circumstances of the delay and of herhesitation were related. Mr. and Mrs. Murray, whom Jannet senior calledFrancis and Lydia, warned her against giving up her profession and toldthe glowing Jannet junior about her mother's beautiful voice.
Jan telephoned the news to Nell and Chick and stopped Jannet in thehall one time to ask her, "How about the fortune that old Grandma Meertold you? I guess that you'll get the long trip to Europe with yourmother, and how about the 'luck when you are found'?"
Jannet beamed upon her cousin who was so kindly in his sympathy. "Istill don't believe in 'fortunes,' and neither do you, Mister Jan, butit is funny how they hit it sometimes, isn't it?"
It was after two blissful and thrilling days that Jannet thought of thepearls, when her mother opened the desk to write a letter. Jannet hadbeen examining the knot hole in the panels where she had seen the lighton one of those exciting nights of which she had been telling hermother; but she came to stand by her mother a moment and a vision ofthe pearls flashed before her.
"We must share the desk now, Jannet," said the elder Jannet. "It is ashame to take it partly away from you. Your cousin has been telling mehow delighted you were with the room and its furniture."
"I'd much rather have a mother than a desk," lovingly said Jannet, "butI must tell you about finding the pearls,--and losing them again!"
"What do you mean, child?" Mrs. Eldon laid down her pen and turned toher daughter.
To her astonished mother Jannet related the story and opened the secretdrawer by way of illustration. This time the drawer came out mosteasily, and both Jannets exclaimed in surprise. In their case, asbeautiful as ever, the shining pearls lay before them!
"Why Jannet!"
"Mother! There must be something queer about that desk! Takethem,--quick!"
As if she were afraid that they would vanish before their eyes, Jannetgathered pearls and case and placed them in her mother's hands. "Oh,you shall wear them the next time you sing!"
Jannet stood looking at her mother, who was turning over the pearls.Then she examined the drawer. "I have an idea, Mother," she said. "Ithink that somebody fixed this with a sort of false bottom. I didsomething before I opened the drawer that time I found them, and Ithink that I must have done it again when I closed it, or some timebefore the time, they were gone.
"See this little worn place, with the wood that gives a little? Thereis a spring under that and it lets down things or brings them up again,perhaps."
Mrs. Eldon looked doubtfully at Jannet, but Jannet dropped her ownfountain pen into the drawer, closed it, and pressed the place to whichshe had referred. Then she pressed the spring which opened the drawer.No fountain pen was in sight. Again Jannet closed the drawer. Again shepressed the wood. Again she pressed the spring, and the drawer cameout. There lay the fountain pen.
"Quod erat demonstrandum!" smiled Jannet senior. "Isn't that strange?We must have Pieter up here to show us how that is managed."
"I think now that a piece of wood just shoots in over whatever isthere," said Jannet, "instead of letting them down." Jannet wasexamining the drawer again. "See, the drawer is much more shallow whenwhat you put in isn't there!"
Jannet senior laughed at Jannet junior's explanation. "You are likeyour father, Jannet, to want to find it all out yourself. To think oftheir having been there all these years!"
"I called them 'Phantom Treasure,'" said Jannet, taking up a white andgleaming strand.
"Like you, they were waiting for me. These are not the greatesttreasure I have recovered, my darling child!"
"Well, Mother, it took three 'ghosts,' and one _angel_ that descendedby the secret stairs, to bring _my_ treasure to _me_. Let me give youanother big hug, to make sure that you are real!"
THE END
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