CHAPTER XL
AN APPEAL TO JINNIE'S HEART
One afternoon she was on her way home from her lesson when she heard avoice call, "Miss Grandoken!" She glanced up swiftly, recognizing thespeaker immediately. He had been present that first night she hadplayed for Theodore's guests, and she remembered vividly her intuitivedislike of him; but because he was a friend of Theodore's she wentforward eagerly. The man drove his car to the side of the pavement andbowed.
"Would you care to be of service to Mr. King?" he asked, smiling.
Jinnie noticed his dazzling teeth and scarlet lips.
"Oh, yes, indeed! I wish I might."
"Then come with me," replied the man. "Will you?"
Without fear she entered the open car door and sat down, placing herviolin on the seat beside her. She sank back with a sigh. The time hadcome she had so longed for; she was going to do something forTheodore. She was glad now she had consented to take two lessons thatday, or she would have missed this blessed opportunity to show hergratitude to her dear one, in acts, as well as words. The car turnedand sped up the hill.
If Jinnie wondered where the man was taking her, she did not allude toit. They were driving in the same direction she took every day tovisit the master, and the very familiarity of it turned aside anyquestion that arose in her mind. As he helped her from the machine,she looked up at the sombre building in front of them. In passing itdaily she had often wondered what it was and if any one lived withinits vast stone walls. One hasty glance, as she was being ushered in,showed paint pails, brushes, and long ropes fastened from the roof tobroad planks below.
"Miss Merriweather will be here very soon," the man explainedgood-naturedly. "She wants you to go with her to the hospital."
Jinnie's mind flew to that one time she had visited Theodore's sickbed. She would be glad to see Molly the Merry.
She had forgiven all the woman's cruelty.
The long flights of stairs they mounted were dark and uncarpeted.Their footsteps made a hollow sound through the wide corridors, andthere was no other sign of human life about the place. But stillJinnie followed the man in front of her, up and up, until she hadcounted five floors. Then he took a key from his pocket and put it inthe lock, turning it with a click.
Jinnie waited until, stepping inside, he turned and smilingly bade herenter. There was so little natural suspicion in the girl's heart thatshe never questioned the propriety, much less the safety, of cominginto a strange place with an unknown man. Her dear one was ill. Shewas anxious to see him again, to help him if possible. She felt alittle shy at the thought of seeing Miss Merriweather once more. Theman led her to an inner room and suavely waved to a chair, asking herto be seated. Casting anxious eyes about the place, she obeyed.
"I'm going after Miss Merriweather now, if you'll wait a few moments,"explained the stranger. "She wasn't ready and asked me to bring youfirst. I think she's preparing a surprise for Mr. King."
Jinnie's tender little heart warmed toward Molly the Merry. Just thenshe had untold gratitude for the woman who was allowing her to takeTheodore something with her own hands. Oh, what joy!
She smiled back at the speaker as he moved toward the door. Then heleft her, asking her politely to make herself at home until hereturned.
Jinnie waited and waited until she thought she couldn't possibly waitany longer. Peg would be worried, terribly worried, and little Bobbiewouldn't eat his supper without her. But because of MissMerriweather's kindness and her own great desire to see hersweetheart, she must stay until the last moment. She grew tired, stiffwith sitting, and the little clock on the mantel told her she'd beenthere over two hours. She got up and went to the window. The buildingstood high on a large wooded bluff overlooking a deep gorge. Thelandscape before her interested her exceedingly, and took her in fancyto the wilderness of Mottville. The busy birds fluttered to and fro,twittering sleepily to each other, and for a short time the watcherforgot her anxiety in the majesty of the scene.
Miles of hills and miles and miles of water stretched northward as faras her eyes could discern anything. The same water passed and repassedthe old farmhouse, and for some time Jinnie tried to locate somefamiliar spot, off where the sky dipped to the lake. It wasn't untilshe noticed the hands of the clock pointed to half past six that shebecame terribly nervous.
She wanted to go to the hospital and get back to Peg. Mrs. Grandokencouldn't leave the baby with Blind Bobbie, and there was supper tobuy. Once more she paced the rooms, then back to the window. Sheshivered for some unknown reason, and a sharp consciousness of evilsuddenly grew out of the lengthening hours. With the gathering duskthe hills and gorge had fallen into voiceless silence, and because hernerves tingled with vague fear, Jinnie drew the curtains to shut outthe yawning dark, and lighted a lamp on the table.
The room was arranged simply with a small divan, at the head of whichwas a pillow. Jinnie sat down and leaned back. Her face held a look ofserious attention. She wondered if anything had happened to Molly theMerry. Then abruptly she decided to go downstairs. If they weren'tcoming, she'd _have_ to go home. She went to the door and, turning theknob, pulled hard. The door was locked, and the key was gone! Herdiscovery seemed to unmake her life in a twinkling. She was like onestricken with death--pale, cold and shivering. She did not know whatshe was going to do, but she must act--she must do something! A roundof inspection showed her she could not open one of the doors. Thewindows, too, had several nails driven into their tops and along thesides, and the doors were securely fastened with keys. She went backto the window, raised the curtains, and looked out into the gloom.There was not another light to be seen.
The clock on the mantel had struck nine, and Jinnie had grown sohorrified she dared not sit down. Many a time she went to the door andpressed her ear to it, but no sound came through the deep silence.
It was after eleven when she dropped on the divan and drew thecoverlet over her. The next she knew, daylight was streaming in uponher face.
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