The Camp Fire Girls in After Years

by Margaret Vandercook

  CHAPTER XXII

  THINGS ARE CLEARED UP

  AS Polly was a little better, immediately upon receipt of her husband'sletter Betty hurried home.

  First she and Anthony had a long talk together until things were oncemore quite clear and happy between them.

  Of course Anthony insisted that he had been unreasonable and that Bettywas a "Counsel of Perfection" just as he had always believed her;nevertheless the Princess was by no means ready to agree with him; norwas Polly's little sermon in Sunrise Cabin ever entirely forgotten.

  Naturally Betty was grieved to hear that Anthony considered her oldfriend, John Everett, and also Meg's husband, Jack Emmet, dishonest; yetwhen he had carefully explained all his reasons for thinking so, she wasfinally convinced.

  Not for a single instant, however, would she consider the barepossibility of Angelique Martins' having had anything to do with theloss of the Governor's important letters. She had known Angel too longand too well and trusted her entirely. Besides, she had been one of herown Camp Fire girls who had kept the Camp Fire laws and gained its noteasily acquired honors.

  So Betty Graham did the only intelligent thing in all such difficultiesand suspicions--she went directly to Angel and told her that shebelieved in her, but asked that they might discuss the whole matter. Sheeven told her that she and Governor Graham had both wondered at herhaving a sum of money which she could scarcely have earned through herwork.

  The woman and the girl were in Betty's pretty sitting room when they hadtheir long talk. It was their first meeting without other people beingpresent since Mrs. Graham's return. And Angel sat on a little stool ather friend's feet with her dark eyes gazing directly into those of herdearest friend.

  It was good to have this opportunity for confidences. Angel breathed asigh of relief when she learned that the Governor had confessed his ownsuspicion to his wife. For she had never a moment's fear that Bettymight fail in faith toward her. Of course, she had never seen themissing letters and had no idea what could have become of them.

  Perhaps it was curious, yet not even to the Governor's wife didAngelique during this interview speak of her own distrust of KennethHelm. She was hardly conscious of the exact reasons for her reticence,except she had no possible proof against Kenneth, and Betty and theGovernor were both fond of him. Moreover, it seemed a disloyalty toFaith Barton to suspect the man to whom Faith had given her affection.

  But Angel was very happy to explain where she had acquired her recentwealth and Betty was as happy and proud as only Betty Graham could be ofher friends' good fortunes. She could hardly wait to see the picture, ofcourse, and registered an unspoken vow that Angel should have artlessons when she had so much talent, no matter how much the girl herselfmight oppose the idea. Certainly she and Anthony would owe this much totheir little friend for even the faintest doubt of her.

  But Angel had other information which she was even more shy inconfessing. It did not amount to very much at present, only she andHorace Everett had taken a great fancy to each other during Horace'sstay in Concord for the Christmas holidays. She had seen him nearlyevery day and Horace had made no secret of his liking for her. He hadnot exactly proposed, but had told her that he meant to as soon as hehad known her long enough to make it proper.

  It was all very beautiful and unexpected to Angelique, for she hadseldom dreamed of any one's caring for her in just this particular way.And that it should be so splendid a person as Horace Everett madeeverything more wonderful. Of course, Angel could not be so unhappy asshe had been before Christmas; nevertheless, for Betty's and GovernorGraham's sake she felt that the mystery of the lost letters must becleared up within the next few days.

  There was only one piece of information, however, which Betty had givenher that offered any possible clue to the enigma. Governor Grahambelieved that whoever had taken the letters had probably sold them tothe three men who would most profit by their disappearance.

  Yet Angel had no experience in the work of a detective and could onlyhope to be of use, without the faintest idea of how she might manage it.

  There was one thing, however, which Angelique regarded as her absoluteduty after her own talk with Betty Graham. She simply must endeavor tobe better friends with Faith Barton. For somehow Betty's faith andaffection for her had served to remind her of her almost forgotten CampFire loyalties.

  Kinder than any one else except Betty, Faith had certainly been to herlong ago, when she had first come, ill and a stranger, to Sunrise Cabin.Besides, what had Faith ever done except be a little selfish andunreasonable of late, and Angel knew that she was troubled by her ownaffairs?

  It was only a few nights after her own interview with Betty, when oneevening immediately after dinner, Angel went up alone to Faith's roomfor the first time since their misunderstanding. She did not knowwhether Faith would care to see her, but she meant to try. For Faith hadnot dined with the rest of the family; she had sent down word that shehad a headache and desired to be left alone.

  Nevertheless, when she discovered who it was who was knocking at herdoor, she grudgingly said, "Come in."

  The truth was that Faith was unhappy and needed consolation. She hadnever had any trouble in her life before without some one to comforther, and now possibly Angel was the only person who could be of service,since Angel alone knew her secret.

  Faith was sitting up in bed looking very pretty in a pale blue cashmeredressing gown with a cap of white muslin and lace on her fair hair. Yetshe had plainly been crying, for her eyes and nose were both a littlered. Moreover, she had eaten no dinner, as a tray of food sat untouchedon a small table close beside her.

  So Angel's first effort was quietly to persuade Faith to have somethingto eat. Then she led her to talking of Woodford and the Christmas withRose and Doctor Barton. And within a few moments Faith was again intears.

  It could not be very wrong, she then decided, to confide what wasworrying her to so insignificant a person as Angel. Surely even Kennethcould not resent this!

  So Faith revealed the fact that she had recently received a letter fromRose Barton and that Rose had asked her again if she felt any unusualinterest in Kenneth Helm. Rose had been very kind and had said more thanonce that she did not wish to force Faith's confidence. Only she caredfor her and her happiness so much that she hoped Faith would keep nosecret of this kind from her.

  And Faith had gone immediately with this letter to Kenneth Helm, begginghim that she at least be allowed to confess their engagement to the twofriends who had been almost more than a father and mother to her.

  However, Kenneth had absolutely and flatly refused and Faith could notmake up her mind what she should do.

  Without a word or a sign Angelique heard the entire story through,although she was secretly raging with indignation against Kenneth andwondering how Faith could possibly be so much under his influence thatshe seemed to have no mind or will of her own.

  Moreover, even after Faith had ended her story and sat evidently waitingfor some comment from her companion, Angel could think of nothing to saythat would be sufficiently circumspect. For if she even so much asbreathed a word against Kenneth, Faith would probably be exceedinglyangry and rally to his defence at once. So the little French girl satmotionless on the side of the bed, staring rather stupidly at the wallopposite her.

  By and by, however, Faith leaned over and put her arms about her.

  "Tell me, Angel, just what you would do if you were in my place?" thegirl pleaded. "Really, I am so miserable I can't decide."

  Angel looked at her earnestly. "Do you really mean that?" she queried.And when Faith bowed her head, she answered decisively:

  "Why, if I were you, I should simply write to Kenneth Helm tonight andsay to him that he was either to allow you to tell Rose and DoctorBarton of your engagement or else you would consider your engagementbroken."

  Faith caught her breath and then her cheeks flushed.

  "Would you mind getting me some paper and the pen and ink out of mydesk?" she return
ed quietly.

  And Angel, almost dazed by the quickness with which the other girl hadaccepted her suggestion, at once walked over to her desk. But the drawerof the desk which contained the paper had stuck and as she had only onehand (the other held her cane) she had to tug and tug at it before itwould come loose.

  Then of course it behaved in the usual fashion. For suddenly the entiredrawer plunged forward and every single thing it contained scatteredover the floor. There were letters and papers and ribbons andphotographs and pens and pencils and powder puffs.

  SHE SPRANG OUT OF BED HERSELF THE NEXT MOMENT]

  "Oh, I am so sorry, Faith dear! I am the most awkward person in thewhole world," Angel apologized. "But if you'll just forgive me I'llclear up in half a minute."

  Faith smiled a little restlessly as her friend stooped to her task.

  However, she sprang out of bed herself the next moment, for Angel hadpicked up a package from the floor which had a blue paper and a rubberband about it and was also marked with the Governor's official seal.

  Faith tried to jerk the letters from her friend's hand.

  "Put those down at once, Angel!" she commanded angrily. "Why don't youdo as I tell you? Those papers are not mine; I am keeping them forKenneth Helm. He told me they were of the most private nature possibleand that no one was to be allowed to see them."

  However, even after this stern injunction, the French girl did not giveup the package of letters. Instead, without Faith's being aware of herintention, she kept edging nearer and nearer toward the door which ledinto the hall and so farther along to Betty's and Governor Graham'srooms. She remembered that they had also gone up-stairs together afterdinner. And her hope was that they had not yet left the house.

  Then suddenly she turned, and running faster than she ever had since herlameness she got out of Faith's bedroom and was on her way to herdesired destination.

  Moreover, for the moment Faith made no effort to follow her, for shebelieved Angel to have lost her senses.

  Why should she desire to run away with Kenneth Helm's private papers?Faith could even now hear Angel's cane tapping its way rapidly along thehall.

  Then she ran to the door and stuck her head out, calling the other girlto return. She didn't quite dare follow her, for she had on only hernight-dress and dressing gown and the servants or Governor Graham mightprobably see her.

  For another half hour Faith had to remain in anger and suspense. Ofcourse, she dressed as quickly as possible and went to Angel's room, butAngel was not there, neither could she be discovered in either of thechildren's nurseries or in any room on the ground floor.

  At last in desperation Faith knocked on Mrs. Graham's sitting room door.It was Betty herself who answered the knock, although Faith caught aglimpse of Angelique Martins standing with the Governor under arose-colored electric light and thought they both looked unusuallycheerful.

  Moreover, it was Betty and not Angel who returned to the bedroom withFaith.

  Just as carefully and as kindly as she could Betty then explained theimportance of Angel's discovery to her guest. She said that it was veryhard indeed for them to believe that Kenneth Helm had stolen theseletters, since Governor Graham had felt every confidence in him.However, if Faith declared that Kenneth had given her the letters forsafe-keeping, there was nothing else for them to believe. He must havedemanded a larger sum of money for the papers than the other men werewilling to pay him. Therefore, it had evidently been his intention tokeep them until the last moment in order to accomplish his end.

  Of course, this statement of Betty Graham's at the time was only asurmise on the part of her husband, notwithstanding it turned out to bethe correct one.

  For Kenneth Helm finally confessed the truth himself in the face of theevidence which Governor Graham held against him. His only excuse was thedangerous and disastrous one that he had longed to grow rich sooner thanhe could with the everyday grind of a business career.

  So, after all, Faith Barton wrote her letter on the same evening she hadintended. Betty's and Angel's and Governor Graham's suspicions ofKenneth, besides the facts themselves, were more than enough to convinceher judgment, especially when her heart had been having its ownmisgivings for some time past.

  It was in entire meekness of spirit and yet in thanksgiving that FaithBarton decided upon breaking off her engagement, which she was gladnever to have acknowledged to any one save Angelique Martins. Angel, sheknew, would never betray her. Nevertheless, before Faith had been athome twenty-four hours she had confessed the entire story to Rose Bartonand together they had wept over her fortunate escape.