The Lion's Mouse

by C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson

  XXXIII

  THE PATCH ON THE PILLOW

  Churn's excursion had justified itself, and the morning after his firstabsence he went out again. Toward noon Kit, in a "ready-to-wear" lookingcostume, knocked at Clo's door. "Thought you might want some candy," shesaid. "Shall I come in?"

  Clo was cordial, and tried to be entertaining. "If I can make her likeme, perhaps she'll go down to a meal with Churn, and leave me on guard,"she reflected. Kit feared to stop long with her new friend lest Churnshould arrive while she was "gadding." She dodged back and forth fromroom to room, and was at home to receive her husband in the afternoon.

  Next morning early Clo heard Churn announce that he would meet Isaacs'train at the Grand Central; the "old lady" had told him the time. Kitobjected. "You might miss him. Best wait at his place," she advised. ButChurn would not be persuaded. He had seen Jake again, who prophesiedthat Chuff would not arrive before the afternoon. They had the wholemorning to see Isaacs and bargain with him, but it would be a waste oftime to hang about at "Isaacs' place." Churn would catch Isaacs at thetrain, and bring him round to Kit. She must clear up the room, and haveeverything ship-shape in an hour. But Kit's anger grew as Churninsisted. "I know why you're mad to get to the Grand Central," she flungat him. "Didn't you s'pose I noticed the name on the candy box. Bah! Iain't a fool. You said you was sick of bein' boxed up with me. That putme wise."

  Churn protested innocence, and went off jauntily, but Clo looked fordevelopments. "Kit's mum, to put Churn off the track," she thought. "Butshe means to follow him. She's bought no handbag. She can't very welltake the pearls."

  Clo had read a paragraph concerning Mr. and Mrs. Roger Sands. Itreferred to the "house-warming party" they were giving at their "latelyacquired cottage in Newport." Apparently the affair had been mentionedbefore in the column devoted to "Society" news, but Clo had missed it.The allusion to the "house-warming," and dinner dance set Clo's brainwhirling. Angel would be expected by her husband to wear the queen'spearls. If he already guessed the secret, this might be a plan to forcehis wife's hand. Beverley feared him. Clo had seen that. Angel must havethe pearls for to-morrow night. And they must be strung, ready to wear,or they would be useless to her, arriving at the last moment. The girlwould have been at her wits' end, but for that quarrel next door. If Kitdid go spying on Churn...!

  The door slammed after Churn. A second later Kit was knocking, callingher new friend by her new nickname: "Kid-Kid! Let me in, quick!"

  Clo let her in. Kit was pinning on a wide-brimmed hat, and had her handsfull with a veil, gloves, and parasol. "Tie this veil for me, there's agood kid!" she panted. "I'm mad at my husband. He's off to flirt with abeast of a girl in a candy store. They had a mash before we married.You're goin' to be in all mornin', ain't you?"

  "I thought of running out to 'phone a friend of mine," said Clo,cleverly.

  "Don't! There's a 'phone in the house, the room under mine--room of apal away till this afternoon. He left his key with Mrs. Mac, and shelent it to my husband last night so he could borrow some novels for me;our pal has lots. We've not given the key back, so when I come home I'lltake you down. I want you to stay in while I'm gone. All you need do isto sit with your door open, and see if any one knocks at mine. And I'vegot the key. But it's the same as every old key; 'tain't a special onelike Ch----like our pal's. If a stranger calls look close, so you candescribe the person."

  "I undertake watchdogging in all its branches," said Clo. "Ta, ta!"

  "I count on you!" were Kit's last words at the top of the steps.

  "Bet your life you can!" the "kid" called after her. But as Kit randownstairs, without stopping to look round, Clo dashed to her own openwindow. In a moment Kit's parasol went bobbing along the street. Thecoast was clear. Kit's manner made it certain that she had left thepearls behind.

  Violet would not come up for the two breakfast trays for a long timeyet. Kit's opinion of the key was the same as that already formed byClo, and the girl was wild to test it. She snatched her own key from itslock, to try it in Kit's door. It went in, but stopped at the criticalturn. There were two more rooms on this floor; a small one oppositeClo's, tenanted by a young man who went to work at seven o'clock; andanother still smaller, used as a storeroom--a refuge for trunks,dust-pans, and brooms. The early bird never locked his door, but his keyfell short of success.

  The storeroom key remained. It did not fail. It turned all the way roundin the lock, and Kit's door opened.

  Clo's was shut and locked, in case Violet should break her rule and cometoo soon.

  Not only did the girl expect to find the pearls, but Chuff's key, andshe hoped to telephone if necessary, before making her "bolt." Wonderfulthat both these chances should fall together!

  Clo knew that the pearls were kept in a drawer; but Kit would not go outand leave them in so obvious a place. Nevertheless, Clo began by lookingthrough the drawers, of which there were six.

  Churn's evening clothes hung from a hook on the wall; there was nothingin the pockets; nothing in the shoes which stood underneath except apair of socks. Other hiding-place there was none, save the bed; and itwas there that Clo expected to find the pearls.

  Kit had made the bed, and neatly patted the two ill-matched pillows intoshape. Clo stripped off the unbleached covers of these pillows andlooked for some sign that the ticking had been ripped open. There was apatch on the larger pillow. One end of this patch was unsewn and held inplace with a pin. Underneath it something hard could be felt with thehand. Clo undid the pin, and thrusting in her hand pulled out a packetmade of a red silk handkerchief tied round with gold string from aconfectioner's. Clo squeezed the tight folds of silk. They held thepearls.

  It seemed a waste of time to open the handkerchief. She longed to runout of the house with her treasure, without a second's delay. Why searchfor Chuff's key? As she had found the pearls she did not need to 'phone.The girl was at the door, with her hand on the key, before she realizedhow mad it would be not to make certain of her find.

  Yes, the pearls were really there, the darlings! She re-wrapped theparcel, and again was at the door when another thought struck her.Better make the bed look as it had looked before. She returned, put thepillows back into their covers, stood them up in place, and during theprocess decided that she would spare a moment to search for Chuff's key.It might come in handy. Kit had let drop that the key was a special key.Clo guessed that at times there were things to hide, and then Chuffwould forget to leave that key for his friends! "It might be useful toMr. O'Reilly's Denham," she thought. "If I can find it quick----"

  And flitting about the room she pounced upon a key which answered Kit'sdescription. It was on the mantelpiece--a small, flat key, of a"special" kind, because it was made for a Yale lock.

  She shut the door softly behind her, and locked it as she went out. Theborrowed key she replaced in the storeroom. Then she unlocked her owndoor, and tearing off the blue wrapper, put on the tan-coloured linensuit Violet had bought in a sale, for five dollars. There was a tanstraw hat, too (Clo dared not appear in the brown toque and coatdescribed by the newspapers), and a cheap handbag purchased for thepearls in case she should get them. It was a tight fit for the red silkbundle, but she squeezed it in, and added the big pearl found inPeterson's room. She would also have tucked in the Yale key, but the bagrefused to shut, and she kept the key in her hand. What money she hadleft, she slipped inside her blouse; everything else she abandoned. Kitwould rage in vain when she looked for the red handkerchief parcel.

  "I can't have been half an hour," she thought, as she tripped past thebreakfast trays and started downstairs. "Kit and Churn may be out a longwhile yet. I'd hate to come face to face with 'em in the street!"

  Less than half way down, she heard Violet's voice, and her nervesjumped. "On my way up for them trays o'yourn," the woman said.

  To whom was she speaking? Kit back already? Yes, Kit was answering her:"I'll run up ahead. I'm in a hurry."

  The voices sounded near. Clo felt that her blood w
as turning to water.Should she fly back and lock herself into her room? No, for Kit woulddiscover her loss, and would guess what had happened. A fight for thepearls would be too uncertain, and Kit would call Mrs. Mac and Vi to therescue, or Churn might come----But could she hope to pass safely if shewent on? No, she had promised to guard the door. Kit would accuse andstop her if they met.

  In her anguish Clo's fingers closed upon Chuff's key. If only she couldhide in Chuff's room before Kit reached his floor! She stumbled down thelast few steps, and paused at the room under Kit's. Would the key fit?It went deep into the small keyhole, and turned. Kit must be close tothe top of the stairs now.