Where There's a Will

by Mary Roberts Rinehart

  CHAPTER XVIII

  MISS COBB'S BURGLAR

  I went to bed early that night. What with worrying and being alternatelychilled by tramping through the snow and roasted as if I was sitting ona volcano with an eruption due, I was about all in. We'd been obliged totell Mrs. Sam about the Summers woman, and I had to put hot flannels onher from nine to ten. She was quieter when I left her, but, as I toldMr. Sam, it was the stillness of despair, not resignation.

  I guess it was about four o'clock in the morning when a hand slid overmy face, and I sat up and yelled. The hand covered my mouth at that,and something long and white and very thin beside the bed said: "Sh! Forheaven's sake, Minnie!"

  It was Miss Cobb! It was lucky I came to my senses when I did, forher knees gave way under her just then and she doubled up on the floorbeside the bed with her face in my comfort.

  I lighted a candle and set it on a chair beside the bed and took a goodlook at her. She was shaking all over, which wasn't strange, for I sleepwith my window open, and she had a key in her hand.

  "Here," she gasped, holding out the key, "here, Minnie, wake the houseand get him, but, oh, Minnie, for heaven's sake, save my reputation!"

  "Get who?" I demanded, for I saw it was her room key.

  "I have been coming here for ten years," she groaned, out of thecomfort, "and now, to be bandied about by the cold breath of scandal!"

  I shook her by the shoulder

  "The cold breath you are raving about is four degrees below zero. If youcan't tell me what's the matter I'm going back to bed and cover myfeet."

  She got up at that and stood swaying, with her nightgown flapping aroundher like a tent.

  "I have locked a man in my room!" she declared in a terrible voice, andcollapsed into the middle of the bed.

  Well, I leaned over and tried to tell her she'd made a mistake. The moreI looked at her, with her hair standing straight out over her head, andher cambric nightgown with a high collar and long sleeves, and the humpon her nose where her brother Willie had hit her in childhood with abaseball bat, the surer I was that somebody had made a mistake--likelythe man.

  Now there's two ways to handle a situation like that: one of them is torouse the house--and many a good sanatorium has been hurt by a scandaland killed by a divorce; the other way is to take one strong man who canhold his tongue, find the guilty person, and send him a fake telegramthe next morning that his mother is sick. I've done that more than once.

  I sat down on the side of the bed and put on my slippers.

  "What did he look like?" I asked. "Could you see him?"

  She uncovered one eye.

  "Not--not distinctly," she said. "I--think he was large, and--and ratherhandsome. That beast of a dog must have got in my room and was asleepunder the bed, for it wakened me by snarling."

  There was nothing in that to make me nervous, but it did. As I put on mykimono I was thinking pretty hard.

  I could not waken Mr. Pierce by knocking, so I went in and shook him.He was sound asleep, with his arms over his head, and when I caught hisshoulder he just took my hand and, turning over, tucked it under hischeek and went asleep again.

  "Mr. Pierce! Mr. Pierce!" He wakened a little at that, but not enoughto open his eyes. He seemed to know that the hand wasn't his, however,for he kissed it. And with that I slapped him and he wakened. He laythere blinking at my candle and then he yawned.

  "Musht have been ashleep!" he said, and turned over on his other sideand shut his eyes.

  It was two or three minutes at least before I had him sitting on theside of the bed, with a blanket spread over his knees, and was tellinghim about Miss Cobb.

  "Miss Cobb!" he said. "Oh, heavens, Minnie, tell her to go back to bed!"He yawned. "If there's anybody there it's a mistake. I'm sleepy. Whattime is it?"

  "I'm not going out of this room until you get up!" I declared grimly.

  "Oh, very well!" he said, and put his feet back into bed. "If you thinkI'm going to get up while you're here--"

  After he seemed pretty well wakened I went out. I waited in thesitting-room and I heard him growling as he put on his clothes. When hecame out, however, he was more cheerful, and he stopped in the hall tofish a case out of Mr. Sam's dressing-gown pocket and light a cigarette.

  "Now!" he said, taking my arm. "Forward, the light-ly clad brigade!But--" he stopped--"Minnie, we are unarmed! Shall I get the patentfolding corkscrew?"

  He had to be quiet when we got to the bedroom floors, however, and whenwe stopped outside Miss Cobb's door he was as sober as any one couldwish him.

  "You needn't come in," he whispered. "Ten to one she dreamed it, but ifshe didn't you're better outside. And whatever you hear, don't yell."

  I gave him the key and he fitted it quietly in the lock. Arabella, justinside, must have heard, for she snarled. But the snarl turned into ayelp, as if she'd been suddenly kicked.

  Mr. Pierce, with his hand on the knob, turned and looked at me in thecandle-light. Then he opened the door.

  Arabella gave another yelp and rushed out; she went between my feetlike a shot and almost overthrew me, and when I'd got my balance again Ilooked into the room. Mr. Pierce was at the window, staring out, and theroom was empty.

  "The idiot!" Mr. Pierce said. "If it hadn't been for that snowbank!Here, give me that candle!"

  He stood there waving it in circles, but there was neither sight norsound from below. After a minute Mr. Pierce put the window down and westared at the room. All the bureau drawers were out on the floor, andthe lid of poor Miss Cobb's trunk was open and the tray upset. But hersilver-backed brush was still on the bureau and the ring the insuranceagent had given her lay beside it.

  We brought her back to her room, and she didn't know whether to be happythat she was vindicated or mad at the state her things were in. I tuckedher up in bed after she'd gone over her belongings and Mr. Pierce haddouble-locked the window and gone out. She drew my head down to her andher eyes were fairly popping out of her head.

  "I feel as though I'm going crazy, Minnie!" she whispered, "but the onlythings that are gone are my letters from Mr. Jones, and--my black woolentights!"