by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER III.
LETTING THE CAT OUT.
"Pooh! I shall not give it up so!" exclaimed Fanny, when it was certainthat Tom Magner did not intend to join the party.
"What will you do?" asked Kate.
"Go to Pennville, of course."
"How will you get there?"
"In the boat; we will take the Greyhound."
"You know we can't do anything of the kind, Fanny Grant."
"I know we can," replied the resolute girl.
"But who will manage her?"
"I will manage her myself."
"You?"
"Yes; I know how to manage a boat as well as any of them. I have sailedenough to understand the whole thing," added Fanny, as she led the wayto the pier, off which the sail-boat was moored.
"Do you think I will risk my life in a boat with no one but you tomanage it?"
"But I know how to handle the boat as well as any one," persistedFanny. "There isn't much wind, and I'm sure there is no danger."
Kate Magner had a great many doubts, but the vision of cakes and candy,lemonade and ice-cream, which her companion's money would purchase,tempted her to yield. The breeze was apparently very light, and itseemed hardly possible that the boat could be upset. She wavered, andFanny saw the advantage she had gained.
"If we don't get along very well, we can hire some boy or man to managethe boat for us," continued the resolute girl, pressing the point uponher yielding companion. "There are some men and boys fishing overthere, and they will be very glad to make some money."
"That will be the best way. If you will get one of those men to managethe boat, I will go with you; for there isn't any fun in being drowned,or in being run over by a steamboat."
"Very well, I will do that," replied Fanny, her black eyes snappingwith renewed vigor.
Ben, the boatman, who usually haunted the pier and the boat-house likea familiar spirit, had added many infirmities to his burden of caresduring the eight years which have intervened since we first knew him,and he was now confined to his house by an attack of rheumatism. Therewas no one near, therefore, to interfere with the execution of Fanny'splan. The Greyhound was moored a short distance from the pier, at whichthe small skiff, which served as her tender, was fastened. The twogirls were about to embark in the little boat, when footsteps wereheard at the upper end of the pier.
Fanny started, released her hold of the painter of the skiff, and atonce realized that her brilliant project was in imminent danger ofbeing defeated. She turned to observe who the intruder was, and to herhorror and consternation, discovered that it was Mr. Long, theconstable, the greatest bugbear in the world to her on ordinaryoccasions, and especially so in the present instance, when herconscience accused her of a very wicked deed.
There was no opportunity to retreat, for the enemy was between her andthe main land. She had been so intent upon the argument with her morecautious companion, that she had not noticed the approach of theconstable until his feet struck upon the planking of the pier. Themoney she had stolen was in her pocket, and it felt just like a coal offire, which was soon to create a conflagration that might burn her up.She very much desired, just then, to get rid of this evidence of hercrime, and she would have dropped the roll of bills into the water ifit would have sunk to the bottom, and disappeared from the sight of theterrible man who was approaching.
Fanny did not doubt that the loss of the money had been discovered byMrs. Green, and that she had sent for the constable to arrest her andput her in prison--a threat which the housekeeper had injudiciouslymade on a former occasion, when the naughty girl had been guilty of asimilar fault, but a threat which Mr. Grant would not have permitted tobe carried out. This terrible punishment appalled Fanny, but she didnot entirely lose her self-possession. She had done a very great wrong;she had staked everything upon the success of the present venture. Shewas entirely satisfied that Mr. Grant, on his return, would send her toher uncle in Minnesota, and she had prepared herself for the worst. Herobject, therefore, was to escape present defeat, and she hoped,cornered as she was by the constable, that some means of getting out ofthe dilemma might be presented to her.
"We are caught," said Kate, as Mr. Long moved down the pier.
"Not yet," replied Fanny, with more confidence than she actually felt.
The consciousness of being the leader in the enterprise led her to puton a bold face in order to inspire her friend with confidence, if forno other purpose.
"What shall we do?" demanded Kate, nervously.
"Keep still; don't you say a word."
"What are you doing here, Fanny, at this time of day?" asked Mr. Long,as he approached the girls.
"I'm not doing anything," replied Fanny, boldly.
"Why are you not at school?"
"The teacher sent us down to get some green branches to put over theclock. We are going to have some visitors in school this afternoon,"replied Fanny, promptly.
"Did she send the other girl, too?"
"Yes; she sent both of us."
"I want to see you, Fanny; come with me," continued the terribleconstable, beckoning her to follow him up the pier.
"What do you want of me?"
"I wish to speak with you a moment."
"I can't stop long, for we must hurry back with the boughs," addedFanny, who had no relish for a confidential conversation with such aman, for she at once surmised its topic.
"Are you looking for green boughs out on the end of that pier?" saidhe.
"We only went out there for a moment," pleaded Fanny, as she followedMr. Long, but it was with the intention of darting away from him at afavorable moment.
But the constable stopped before he reached the head of the pier, whicheffectually prevented her retreat unless she jumped into the water.
"What do you want of me, Mr. Long?" she asked, with increasingboldness.
"Fanny, you have been very bad again," began the tormentor.
"No, I haven't."
"Yes, you have; and you needn't attempt to deny it."
"What have _I_ done?"
"You know what you have done."
"I haven't done anything," protested she, speaking for the sake ofspeaking, rather than because she had any confidence in the impressionher words would produce upon the mind of her tormentor, and all thewhile thinking how she could break away from the constable.
"'Thou shalt not steal,'" said Mr. Long, impressively.
"What do you mean by that?" demanded Fanny. "Do you mean to say that Isteal? If you do, you are very much mistaken."
"Fanny, if you didn't steal anything, it was only because you did notfind anything to steal."
What could he mean by that? She was perplexed, but she began to hopethat he did not know what she had done.
"I do not want to steal," said she; and now she spoke for the purposeof drawing out her accuser, to ascertain how much he did know.
"You have been guilty of stealing several times," continued theconstable, assuming a very stern and virtuous aspect.
"I never meant to _steal_ anything."
"But you meant to steal this time: the cat is out of the bag."
The constable's stern features relaxed a little, and there wassomething like a smile playing upon his face, as if in faintappreciation of a joke.
"The cat is out of the drawer, if that is what you mean," said Fanny,laughing, and now greatly encouraged by the new aspect of the case.
"That is what I mean."
"But I didn't let the cat out," protested Fanny.
"Who did?"
"Mrs. Green."
"Fanny, you are lying to me, and you know you are," added Mr. Long,sternly.
"I hope to die if it isn't just as I say!" persisted the wicked girl,earnestly. "Mrs. Green let the cat out of the drawer, and I had a goodlaugh over it."
Fanny began to laugh very heartily. The constable was staggered, and itwas evident that he was not smart enough to deal with one so shrewd andclever as the wayward girl.
; "What are you laughing at?" asked Mr. Long.
"I was laughing to think of the poor cat as she jumped out of thedrawer and ran away. What did you put her in there for? Were you afraidshe would steal the meat or the milk? Could that cat read, Mr. Long?Were you trying to teach her one of the ten commandments?"
"Do you mean to tell me, Fanny, that Mrs. Green let the cat out of thedrawer?"
"Yes, she did. Poor pussy mewed awfully in the drawer, where you puther. Perhaps she was saying over the commandment you gave her to learn;but Mrs. Green didn't understand her lingo, and let her out."
"Fanny, I am going up to see Mrs. Green, and if you have told me a lie,it will be all the worse for you," said Mr. Long.
"You can ask Mrs. Green herself."
"I will ask her. You meant to steal: you were seen watching Mr. Grantwhen he had the key of the drawer."
"And you set a trap to catch me; but you caught Mrs. Green!" laughedFanny.
"I don't believe a word of your story; but I am willing to be surebefore I do anything."
"What are you going to do?"
"I shall take care of you; you will know what I mean when I have provedthe case."
"You ought to have told Mrs. Green where you put the cat, for the poorcreature would have starved to death before I let her out."
"We shall see. Mr. Grant told me to take care of you if you did notbehave yourself while the family were away. I will go up and ask Mrs.Green about this matter, and if I find you have not told me thetruth,--and I don't believe you have,--I shall take care of you."
"When shall I see you again?" asked Fanny, with the most brazenimpudence.
"You will see me sooner than you will want to see me, if you have beendoing wrong."
"But I shall not be here when you come back. We are going right up toschool now."
"I can find you, wherever you are," replied the constable, confidently,as he walked away towards the mansion.
Fanny was entirely relieved of all her fears; she was even jubilantover her success in cheating her persecutor. Her conscience did nottrouble her now. She readily comprehended the details of the plan bywhich she was to be detected, if she attempted to steal from thelibrary. Of course, the constable would soon find out that she had nottold the truth, and that Mrs. Green knew nothing about the cat in thedrawer.
After the announcement that the family were to be absent a week, hadbeen made, it was observed that Fanny was in unusually good spirits.Miss Fanny had detected her in the act of looking through one of thelibrary windows, while her father was paying a bill in the room. Mr.Grant, wealthy as he was, had always been very methodical in hisbusiness affairs. He kept a sum of money in a drawer for householdexpenses, to which Mrs. Green and his daughters had access. Whenanything was paid out by any member of the family, the amount was putdown on a paper in the drawer. After the advent of Fanny Jane, andafter she had been detected in some small pilfering, the key of thisdrawer was concealed as we have described.
Miss Fanny at once suspected the motive of her wayward charge, and toldher father of the fact, on the day before the departure of the familyfor Hudson. Mr. Grant, more desirous of reforming the wicked girl thanof anything else, consulted Mr. Long. Mrs. Green was told where shemight find money for the payment of the household bills, and admonishedto be very careful in concealing the keys; but nothing was said to herabout the cat and the commandment. If Fanny did attempt to steal, thecase was to be managed by the constable, who had been instructed totake her to his own house, and keep her in close subjection until thereturn of the family.
The cat belonged to Mr. Long, who was confident that the animal, whenreleased by the act of the thief, would run home, when her presencewould inform him of the culprit's deed. The cat--true to her domesticinstinct--had run home; but the constable had not immediately seen her.As soon as he discovered the tell-tale pussy, he hastened over toWoodville, expecting to find Fanny penitently studying the commandment,which was the moral of Mr. Grant's stratagem; but before he reached thehouse he saw two girls on the pier, and recognized Fanny as one ofthem.
Willing to be entirely fair, and deeming it possible that Mr. Grant'splan had failed, he went up to the house to consult Mrs. Green, whileFanny rushed down the pier to join her companion in mischief.