CHAPTER XIV
SUSPICION
"ANGEL, will you go into Anthony's private office; he told me he wantedto speak to you," Betty Graham said carelessly one afternoon inDecember. She was dressed for driving in a long fur coat and small blackvelvet hat which brought out the colors in her auburn hair in the mostattractive fashion.
However, her expression changed as she saw the girl to whom she had justspoken turn white and clasp the railing of the banister as if to keepherself from falling.
"What on earth is the matter with you, Angel?" she demanded crossly."You look like you were going to faint when I deliver a perfectly simplemessage. Surely you are not afraid of Anthony after living here with usall this time and working for him even longer. I suppose he just wantsto speak to you about some business in connection with the office. Henever talks of anything else." Then a little ashamed of her impatience,Betty put her arm on Angel's shoulder.
"There has been something on your mind recently, hasn't there, Angel,something you have not cared to confide to me?" She stopped, for herremark was half a statement and half a question.
However, Angel nodded agreement.
"Well, I am sorry, but I don't seem to be worthy of any one's confidencethese days," Betty continued, trying to speak lightly. "However, if anyone wishes to know where I have gone, dear, please say that Meg Emmetand I are driving together and that we are to have tea with oldProfessor Everett." And the next moment Betty Graham had disappeareddown the steps.
Still Angel stood in the same place and in the same position.
Surely Betty was being kept in the dark if she did not dream of thetrouble that had been hovering over the Governor's office for severalweeks. Several important state papers had been misplaced, lost orstolen. No one knew what had become of them, yet on them a great dealdepended. They were the proof that the Governor required for exposingcertain men whom he believed dishonest. It was absolutely necessary thatthey should be found.
Summoning her courage, Angel knocked timidly at the Governor's studydoor. It was in front of this same door that she had watched the guestsat the Inaugural Ball some weeks before. Of course it was absurd for herto be frightened at the Governor's having sent for her. She was tooinsignificant a person even to be questioned in regard to the lostpapers, as she was only one of the unimportant stenographers at theCapitol and was only occasionally asked to do any of the Governor'sprivate work.
Anthony was sitting with his desk littered with papers when Angel walkedtimidly in. She thought he looked rather old and tired and stern for soyoung a man. But he was always very polite and at once got up andoffered her a chair.
"I am sorry to disturb you out of office hours like this, Angel," hebegan kindly. "I know it is Saturday afternoon and a half holiday, but Ithought perhaps we could talk something over better here at home thanat the office. One is so constantly interrupted there."
Angel made a queer little noise in her throat which she believed to havesounded like "Yes."
Of course the Governor was going to dismiss her from her position. Shewas not a particularly good stenographer, not half so fast as many ofthe girls, although she had tried to be thorough. But then she had noreal talent for office work and of course there was no reason why sheshould continue to hold her position because she was a friend of thefamily. Positively Angel was beginning to feel sorry for the Governor'sembarrassment and already had made up her mind to try and get some otherkind of work. She would not stay on and be dependent.
Anthony was tapping his desk with his pencil.
"See here, Angel," he said, "I wonder if you by any chance have thefaintest idea of what has become of some papers we have been a good dealworried about at the office. I know you don't often have anything to dowith my private business, but I thought by accident you might have seenthem lying around at some time. They were two or three letters boundaround with a blue paper and a rubber band. Know anything about them?"
The girl started. For suddenly the Governor's manner had changed and hewas looking at her sternly out of his rather cold, searching eyes. For aman does not win his way to greatness through all the trials thatAnthony Graham had endured without having some streak of hardness inhim.
Quietly Angel shook her head, but she was neither nervous nor offendedby the Governor's questioning. She had heard the gossip, strictly withinthe office, of the loss of these letters and it was most natural thatevery member of the force should be investigated concerning them.
"I am sorry," she answered, her voice trembling the least little bit inspite of her efforts, "but I have never at any time seen anything of theletters you mention. Could it be possible that one of the servants atthe Capitol realized their importance and stole them in order to getmoney for them?"
"No," the Governor answered promptly, "that is not possible, because theletters were taken from this study and in this house. Think again,Angel, have you seen nothing of them? There is no one else living in thehouse here, you know, who works at my office except you."
Angel jumped quickly to her feet. "You don't mean--you can't mean," shebegan chokingly. "Oh, I can't bear it! I shall tell Betty--she willnever believe. Why, I thought you were my best friends, almost my onlyfriends." For a moment she found it impossible to go on.
But the Governor was looking almost as wretched as she was herself. "Mydear, I don't mean really to accuse you of anything, remember. I am onlyasking you questions. And I particularly beg of you not to mention thistrouble of ours to Betty. She is not very well at present and I amafraid she thinks I am too hard on all her friends. Indeed, I am sure Ishould never have dreamed of you in connection with this matter, butthat some one in whom I have great confidence told me that he had seenyou coming out of my study on the night on which I believe my paperswere mislaid. We won't talk about the matter any more for the present,however. Possibly the letters will yet turn up, and it has been only myown carelessness that is responsible for the loss. There, do go up toyour own room and lie down for a while, Angel. I assure you thisconversation has been as distasteful to me as it has to you. It was onlybecause the discovery of these letters is so important that I decided totalk to you. But don't think I am accusing you."
Sympathetically and apologetically the Governor now smiled at hiscompanion, the smile that had always changed his face so completely froma grave sternness to the utmost kindness and charm.
But Angel would not be appeased. She had always a passionate temperinherited from her Latin ancestors, though she usually kept it wellunder control.
"You mean your private secretary, Kenneth Helm, has suggested that youquestion me," she announced bitterly. "I knew he disliked me for somereason or other, but I did not know his dislike was as cruel as this.It was he who saw me sitting out here watching the people down-stairsthe night of your Inaugural Ball, because I was too shy to go downalone." For an instant it occurred to Angel to say that she had seenKenneth Helm enter the Governor's private study on this same evening.But what would have been the use? The Governor probably knew of it andcertainly he had the utmost faith in his secretary. It would only lookas if she were trying to be spiteful and turn the suspicion upon someone else. Besides, had she not promised Kenneth Helm not to tell? Atleast she would not condescend to break her word.
Stumbling half blindly, Angel made her way out of the study. In the hallshe found Bettina waiting for her.
"You promised to come and play more secret with me. Will you come now,Angel? We can go up to the nursery and lock the door; there is no one tofind us," Tina urged.
But Angel could only shake her head, not daring to let the little girlsee into her face.
Nevertheless, outside her own bedroom door she had to meet an evengreater strain upon her nerves. For there stood Faith Barton in a prettyhouse dress and with a box of candy in her hands.
"May I come in and talk to you for a little while, Angel?" she asked,hesitating the least little bit. "Kenneth has just sent me a note and abox of candy, saying that he cannot keep his engagement with me t
onight.He is so dreadfully busy, poor fellow! I don't believe Governor Grahamworks one-half so hard. So I thought maybe you would let me stay withyou, as I am rather lonely. Besides, Angel, there isn't any sense inyour treating me so coldly as you have lately. If I am doing wrong inkeeping my engagement a secret, I am doing wrong, that's all. But Idon't think you ought to be unkind to me. If I have been hateful to youabout anything, truly I am sorry. You know I have always been awfullyfond of you, dear, and wanted to be your friend ever so much more thanyou ever wished to be mine."
But instead of answering Faith, the other girl had to push by heralmost rudely, stammering:
"I can't talk to you now, Faith. I've got the headache. I'm not verywell; I must lie down."
Then with Faith standing almost on her threshold, resolutely Angelclosed the door in her face.
If there was one person above all others at this moment with whom shecould not bear to talk it was Faith Barton.
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