CHAPTER XVII
A CLEVER IDEA
Ted Hosmer looked at Dolly as she spoke, and a sudden light came intohis eyes.
"By Jiminy!" he said, and he drew a sharp little whistle. "I say,Dolly, where is your Mrs. Berry?"
"Oh, no, Ted," Dolly laughed, "you can't connect Mrs. Berry with thismatter any more than you can the Mortimers' servants. Mrs. Berry didn'tdo it."
"I didn't say she did," returned Ted, smiling at her. "But where isshe, that's all."
"I don't know. Probably in her room."
"Take me there, will you? I must see her at once. Why, I've got anidea!"
"Goodness, Ted!" exclaimed Geordie. "What a strange piece of news!"
"Don't be funny!" said Ted; "I say, Dolly, take me to speak to Mrs.Berry, won't you?"
"Why, of course, if you like,--come on."
Dolly led the way and Ted followed. The others paid little attention,for Geordie was thinking out a new theory of how somebody could getacross from the next house, by means of scuttles to the roofs on thefront part of the houses. Of course, in front the houses were attached,but the back extensions were only one room wide, thus giving groundspace for tiny back yards.
A tap on Mrs. Berry's door was answered, and the two were admitted.
"What is it?" and the housekeeper looked a little surprised at hervisitors.
"May we look out of your window?" asked Ted, politely.
"Surely," was the reply. "But what for?"
Ted, however, already had raised the window and was looking out. It wasdark, or nearly, and the house next door showed a dim light in the roomopposite the one they were in.
The shade was down at the window, so they saw nothing of the room but afew indistinct shadows.
"Tell us something about the old caretaker next door, won't you?"begged Ted, and Mrs. Berry responded: "Now, don't suspect him! Why, oldJoe is the most honest man in the city! I've known him for years, andI'm sure he wouldn't steal a pin! Mr. Mortimer trusts him absolutely."
"But tell us a little about him."
"There's nothing to tell, only that he stays there alone when thefamily go away. He lives, practically, in the two rooms; that roomopposite and the kitchen. He has no company but his parrot; he makes agreat pet of that."
"A nice Polly?"
"A handsome bird, yes. But a nuisance with its continual squawking andchattering."
"Thank you, Mrs. Berry; I believe that's all. Pardon our intrusion.We'll go now. Come along, Dolly."
Dolly followed Ted from the room, and he said, "Don't go back upstairsyet. Come along with me."
"Where?"
"Never mind. Come on," and, making a gesture for her to be silent, Tedpiloted her down the main staircase and out of the front door.
"Gracious! I won't go another step till you tell me where we're going!"
"Of course I'll tell you. We're going next door. Come on; you don'tneed wraps; it's just a step."
Taking her hand, Ted led her down the Forbes' steps and up those of thehouse next door. He rang the bell and they waited. In a moment,shuffling steps were heard and an old man opened the door.
"That you, Joe?" said Ted, pleasantly. "Let us come in for a moment,please."
"I don't know you, young sir, but if I'm not mistaken, this is one ofthe little ladies from next door."
"Quite right. We intend no harm, I assure you. Let us come in for aminute or two."
The old man let them enter and closed the door behind them.
"How's your parrot?" asked Ted, conversationally.
Old Joe looked surprised, but he answered courteously, "Polly is well,as usual."
"What kind of a bird is he?"
"A parrot, sir."
"I don't mean that. Is he honest or--or gives to thievery?"
"Oh, sir, he's the thievingest beast in the world, that he is! I don'tdare leave a thing around I'm not willing for him to take if he wantsit."
"Yes, just so. And does he ever go out of this house?"
"No,--oh, no."
Ted's face fell. Dolly's, too, for she began to see what Ted had inmind. But if Polly never left the Mortimer house, surely he didn't flyover and steal the earring.
"Could I go up to the room where the bird is?" said Ted, trying toconceal his disappointment at the collapse of his theory.
"Yes, sir, if you like, or I'll bring the bird down here."
"We'll go up, please," and Dolly and Ted followed the old man to theroom on the second floor, which was opposite Mrs. Berry's.
They looked in and saw the bird in his cage, hanging from a bracketnear the window.
"Pretty Polly," said Ted, walking toward the cage. "Nice Polly. Pollywant a cracker?"
The bird cocked his head on one side, but said nothing.
"And you're sure he never leaves his cage?" said Ted, examining thefastening on the cage door.
"Well, sir, he does leave his cage. I said he doesn't leave this house.That is,--not often. So seldom as to call it never."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, a few days ago,--I'm thinking it was Sunday,--the bird lethimself out of his cage. The latch broke, do you see, and he could pushthe door open with his claw. I came into the room, and there he wasstalking up and down the floor with a knowing look. I soon found how hegot out of the cage and I fixed the latch so he can't do it again. Ilet him out often, but I'm not going to have him letting himself out."
"Sunday, was it?" and Dolly's eyes brightened as Ted went on with hisquestions. "And you weren't here when he got out of his cage?"
"No, sir. But I came in soon and he was marching along the floor,winking at me."
"And was the window open?"
Old Joe stopped to think. "No," he said, finally, and Dolly gave a sighof despair. If the window had been open, there was a possibility thatPolly had been the thief.
"Can he fly?" she put in.
"Fly? Yes, that he can. That's why I'm careful to keep him shut uphere. I wouldn't like him to fly over and annoy Mrs. Berry. He did thatonce a year ago, and the lady was right down mad about it."
"Think again, Joe. Couldn't this window have been open Sunday, whenPolly got out of his cage?"
"Well, now, I do believe it was! Wasn't Sunday that warm, pleasant day?Yes? Well, then, come to think of it, this here window WAS open! My! itwas a good thing Mr. Polly didn't walk out of it!"
"But that's just what he did do,--I believe!"
"What, sir? What do you mean?"
"Well, I'll tell you. A small article has disappeared from the housenext door, from a room on this side, just above Mrs. Berry's room. It'sa hard matter to find out what became of the thing, a small trinket ofjewellery, and I'm in hopes that your bird flew over and took it,because that will let out certain very much worried human beings!"
"Oh, I can't think Polly did that!"
"Can he fly as far as to go up to that window two stories higher thanthis? You say he can fly, but would he be likely to fly UP?"
"If so be that window was open he might. He's a born thief, that birdis. But in that case, what did he do with it? A jewel, you say?"
"Yes, an old, very old earring."
"Ah!" and Joe started; "of fine work, but all broken and bent?"
"I don't know. How about that, Dolly?"
"It was old, and it was fine gold work. But it wasn't bent or broken."
"Then it's not the same," said Joe. "Polly has a lot of playthings, andsome old imitation jewellery that Mrs. Mortimer lets him have becausehe loves such things. And it was Monday, yes, yesterday, he had an oldpiece of stuff that I didn't remember seeing before, but I paid littleattention to it. And it was that bent and twisted it can't have beenthe thing you're searching for. No, that it couldn't."
"I suppose not," said Ted, but Dolly said, "Let us see it, anyway,can't you? Maybe Polly bent it up himself."
Old Joe went and searched through a lot of broken bits of metal tilingsin a box on the table.
"Here it is," he said. "You see how
it's worn out!"
"That's it!" cried Dolly. "Oh, Ted, THAT'S the earring! Hooray!"
"Is it? Hooray!" shouted Ted. "REALLY, oh, it's too good to be true!Polly MUST have taken it, Joe."
"Yes, he must have done so, if Miss, here, says it's the one. But letme figger it out. I s'pose when Polly opened his cage door, the openwindow attracted him, and he flew out. Then as the other windows in theForbes house were closed, he made for that one that was open. Wasnobody in the room?"
"No," said Dolly, "not when the jewel was taken. I left it on a table,near the window, and--"
"Yes, Miss, I see! Polly was tempted by the glittering thing; he lovesglitter, and he snatched it up and flew right back home with it. He hidit somewhere; that's his thievish nature, and when I came in here hewas walking up and down the floor as innocent appearin' as a lamb! Oh,you wicked Polly!"
"Wick-ed Polly!" screeched the bird. "Naughty Polly!"
"Yes, very naughty Polly!" said Ted. "But a good Polly, after all, toget us out of our troubles!"
"Then, you see," continued Old Joe, "that villainous bird, he hid histreasure, and when I let him out yesterday, just to fly around theroom, he found it out again, and he hent and broke it all up."
"Well, never mind!" Dolly cried, "as long as we have it! Oh, Ted, howclever of you to think of it! I'm so glad! Come, let's hurry home andtell about it! My, won't they all rejoice!"
"Shall I go over and make my apologies to Mr. Forbes?" asked Joe,anxiously.
"No; at least, not now. Mr. Forbes won't hold you at all to blame. Itwas merely coincidence that the bird happened to get out of his cage,just when the jewel lay there unprotected," said Ted.
"And, he'd taken something else if he hadn't found that. Anythingglittering or sparkling catches his eye, and he steals it. But 'tisseldom he gets a chance outside the house."
"Why do you keep such a bird?" asked Dolly.
"He isn't mine. I wouldn't care to have him. He belongs to Mrs.Mortimer, and she only laughs at his thievin' traits. She thinksthey're cunning. So, I must needs take good care of him. 'Twas carelessof me to leave the window open, and him here alone. But I didn't thinkhe could break loose from his cage. I'm thinkin' the door was ajar."
"Well, we're much obliged to you and to Polly. Oh, just think if youhadn't reasoned it out, Ted, we never would have known the truth! Yousee, Joe thought the earring was one of Polly's own belongings, so, ofcourse, he never would have paid any attention to it."
"That I wouldn't, Miss. I supposed it was some of the trinkets themissus gave him. She buys 'em for him at the five-and-ten. He breaks'em as fast as he gets 'em!"
"I hope this can be straightened out, and I think it can," said Dolly,as she looked at the bent gold work.
"I'm sure it can," agreed Ted, "but anyway, it solves the mystery andclears you girls! Hooray! Hurroo!! Come on, let's go and tell them all."
The two dashed into the Forbes house next door, and found the rest ofthem down in the drawing room, wondering what had become of Dolly andTed.
With a beaming face and dancing eyes, Dolly went straight to Mr. Forbesand dangled the bent and twisted earring before his surprisedcountenance.
"Bless my soul!" he cried, as he saw it. "Did you--where did you findit?"
Dolly realised that he had been about to say, "Did you decide to ownup?" or something like that, and she was glad that he changed hissentence.
"Next door!" she exclaimed, for Ted stood back and let her have thepleasure of telling. "That old parrot came and stole it!"
"Oh! the parrot!" cried Mr. Forbes. "Why, of course! I see it all! Whydidn't _I_ think of that? Once before, I saw that bird light on mywindow sill and I shooed him off. Strange I didn't think of thatsolution!"
"Tell us more!" cried Dotty; "who thought of a parrot? Whose parrot isit? How did he get in? When?"
"Wait a minute, Dot," said Dolly, laughing, "and I'll tell you allabout it. You tell some, Ted, I'm all out of breath!"
So Ted told the whole story of their visit to the next house.
"And I thought it was n. g. when the old chap said the window in hisroom wasn't open. Also, when he said the bird never left that house, Ithought again we were off the track. But when we went on to discuss thematter, and he said the bird was a born thief, and also he finallyremembered that his window was open on Sunday afternoon, why I feltsure we had found the culprit. Then, the old fellow produced theearring, which he had seen, but had scarcely noticed, thinking it wassome of the bird's own junk. It seems Polly also collects antiques!"
"Well, well, Hosmer, my boy, you did well to think of such a solutionto our mystery! What put you on the track in the first place?"
"I think it was the birds of your collection, sir. I'm very fond ofbirds and bird study, and I know a lot about parrots, and their ways.Well, seeing all your stuffed birds, put birds in my head, I suppose;any way, when Dolly spoke of a parrot next door that annoyed Mrs.Berry, I thought right away of how that Polly bird would like to grab agold trinket if he had a good chance. So I looked up his chances, and Ibegan to realise that if your window was open, the one in the otherhouse might have been too. Sunday was such a warm, pleasant day. So, Ilooked into matters a little, and concluded we'd better go over there.I didn't say what we were going for, because it might easily haveturned out a wild goose chase--"
"Instead of a wild parrot chase!" said Alicia. "Oh, isn't it just finethat it's found!"
"I guess old Fenn will be surprised," said Dotty, with an angry shakeof her dark head. "He tried his best to fasten it on Dolly--"
"Fasten the earring on?" asked Geordie Knapp, laughing.
"No; I did that myself," rejoined Dolly. "Oh, Uncle Forbes, you didn'tthink I took it, did you?"
"I didn't know what to think. No thought of that bird came into mymind. And so I had to cudgel my brain to think how it did disappear.For I HAD to know! Yes, I positively HAD to know!"
"Of course," agreed Bernice. "You didn't want to lose that jewel."
"It wasn't only that, there was another reason, a reason that I'll tellyou some day."