Witch Winnie's Mystery, or The Old Oak Cabinet Part 7

"A mere matter of form," he murmured, extending his hand with persuasive authority. Winnie delivered her one key promptly, saying, "I will go and tell the other girls."

"Quite unnecessary," Mr. Mudge replied. "I have a pa.s.s key which opened Miss Adelaide's capacious trunk. I have shaken out all her furbelows and tried to fold them again as well as I could, but I fear that the gowns with trains were a little too difficult for me. Miss Milly's bureau drawers were in a wild state of mix: ribbons, laces, gloves, hair crimpers, dried-up cake, perfumery, jewelry, chewing-gum, love letters (innocent ones from other young ladies), a manicure set, a bonnet pulled to pieces, a box of Huyler's, fancy work, dressmaker's and other bills (which I have taken the liberty to borrow for a day or two), dancing slippers and German favors, a tin box containing marshmallows and a bottle of French dressing, menthol pencil, pepsum lozenges for indigestion, box of salted almonds, bangles, sachet, photograph of Harvard foot-ball team, notes to lectures on evidences of Christianity, silver bonbonniere containing candied violets, programmes of symphony rehearsals, caramels and embroidery silks gummed together, a handsome book of etchings converted into a herbarium or pressing book for botany cla.s.s, and strapped together by buckling elastic garters around it; fine Geneva watch, out of order; match box containing specimens of live beetles, which I fear I released; pair of embroidered silk stockings, in need of mending; a diary, disappointing since it contains but two entries; packet of letters from home, tied with corset lacing (these I have borrowed), packet of ditto from a certain 'Devotedly yours, Stacey, F. S.' tied with blue ribbon--these are of no interest to me and I will not violate their secrets; badge of the Kings'

Daughters, b.u.t.ton of West Point cadet, a fan bearing some autographs, a mouldy lemon, a dream book, etc., etc. The more I tried to examine her affairs the more confused I became, and I finally dumped them all out on the floor and then shoveled them back again. I don't believe she will ever suspect that they have been touched."

I laughed, but Winnie looked uneasy. "I think, sir," she said, "that it is hardly honorable to carry away Milly's private letters."

"Any objection to having me read yours?" he asked sharply.

"None at all," Winnie replied, at the same time handing him her little writing desk, "but with Milly the case is different. I do not think Mr.

Roseveldt will like it."

"Mr. Roseveldt will understand the necessity of the case," Mr. Mudge replied.

"Have you looked through Cynthia's things?" I asked.

"Yes, first of all. Everything in admirable order. She sets you other young ladies an example in point of neatness. And now, Miss Smith, I will thank you to give me the key to that small, old-fas.h.i.+oned trunk under your bed. It is the only one which my pa.s.s key will not fit; the lock has gone out of date."

"Any one but a detective could have opened it without a key," I replied, somewhat snappishly, "if they had had the penetration to discover that the hinges are broken. You simply swing the lid around this way."

"Dear, dear, and so we keep a restaurant, do we? I believe I now understand the slight trepidation which you manifested on being requested to deliver up your keys. Rea.s.sure yourself. I am retained to unravel but one mystery; any others which may tumble into my possession during the search will be as safe as though buried in the grave. I believe this is all, as far as the rooms are concerned. If Miss Smith will accompany me now to the library, I will take her personal deposition."

Mr. Mudge was in the main kind. He did not alarm me in the least, and asked but few questions.

"Have you reason to suspect any one?"

"No."

"Very good. Did you see any one in the parlor the night of the robbery?"

"Yes, Winnie."

"But you did not suspect her when you discovered that the money was gone?"

"No, Winnie was honest and open as the day; it was impossible that she could take it."

"Hum, your parlor-mate, Miss Vaughn, does not share your opinion of your friend. Do you know of any reason for the coolness which apparently exists between them?"

"Yes, Winnie has frankly given Cynthia her opinion of certain underhanded performances of hers."

"Such as----"

"I am not a tale-bearer."

"In this examination, Miss Smith, you will please answer all questions put to you--and abstain from flippancy. Believe me, I ask nothing from idle curiosity; nothing which does not have its bearings on this case."

"Cynthia is continually doing things that exasperate Winnie. She put her m.u.f.f between the sheets at the foot of Milly's bed. When Milly slipped her foot down and felt the fur she thought that it was a rat or some wild animal, and she nearly shrieked herself into convulsions. Cynthia laughed till she almost cried, but Winnie was raging with indignation, and gave her such a scoring that Cynthia has never forgiven her."

"Is that the only source of unpleasantness between them?"

"No; such affairs are always coming up," and I related the trick of the costumes, which has been told in the preceding volume. "And lately," I added, "Cynthia has been very obsequious to Milly, and they have been quite intimate. Winnie has not approved of the friends.h.i.+p. She told Milly that she did not believe Cynthia was sincere, but did not succeed in separating them. Cynthia surmised that Winnie was not pleased, and taunted her with being jealous, and Winnie let them proudly alone, until something happened at Milly's dressmaker, when she interfered again, declaring that Cynthia was going too far, and that Milly needed some one to protect her."

"What happened at the dressmaker's?"

"I don't know exactly. Milly went to the dressmaker's rooms last week to have a dress fitted, and Winnie was with her. She came back very much displeased, and had a long talk with Cynthia in her bedroom. As she came out we heard her say, 'Downright dishonorable; as bad as stealing;' and Cynthia called after her: 'I'll pay you for this; we shall see who is a thief, Miss Winifred De Witt.'"

"Hum!" said Mr. Mudge. "The importance of these little tiffs between girls must not be exaggerated. They have probably made it all up by this time."

"Indeed they have not," I replied.

"Can you give me the address of Miss Milly's dressmaker? On second thought, it is of no consequence. I have it on this bill: 'To Madame Celeste, Fifth Avenue: For tailor-made costume in dark green cloth, trimmed with sable, sixty-seven dollars.'"

"But that was Cynthia's dress," I said.

"It is charged here to Miss Milly Roseveldt."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, a light beginning to break in.

"And you never suspected what it was that occurred at the dressmaker's which displeased Miss Winnie?"

"Never, until this moment. Milly has cried a great deal, but she would not tell her trouble, even to Adelaide."

"Very well. I will step across to Madame Celeste. No; on reflection I will speak to Miss Milly first. Will you kindly ask her to come to me?"

"Then this is all you wish to ask me?"

"Thank you, yes. No, one question more. Can you tell me the exact time at which Miss Winnie visited the parlor last night? The young lady herself was very exact on that point."

"That is natural!" I replied, "for the great clock at the end of the corridor was striking twelve as she came back to the bedroom. I thought it never would stop."

"That tallies also with Miss Cynthia's testimony. She states that she saw Miss Winnie go to the safe a few minutes before twelve; that she, Miss Cynthia, lay still until the clock struck the quarter, and then examined the safe, finding your money gone.

"Inference (since Miss Winnie apparently noticed nothing out of the way when she looked in): if neither of these young ladies took it, the robbery must have been committed during that fifteen minutes."

"That seems hardly possible," I said, "since Cynthia, Winnie, and I were all awake during that time."

"It is possible, though not probable. Cynthia's bedroom door, opening into the parlor, was closed. Are you quite certain that you did not fall asleep before the quarter struck. Did you hear it?"

"No, I am not at all certain."

"Very good. Then if the thief were standing in the studio waiting for his opportunity, he might have slipped in during that time. Is there any way in which we can ascertain whether any one was in the studio between twelve and a quarter past?"

"I know of no way," I replied. "There was no one in the studio at ten o'clock when I looked in."

"Very good; the known quant.i.ties are being gathered in, the unknown ones defined; the problem becomes simpler. I think we will be able to solve it soon. Meantime, if any new developments appear, be so good as to report them to me." He rose and bowed stiffly in token of dismissal. I hurried to our rooms and found Adelaide and Winnie.

"Where is Milly?" I cried; "Mr. Mudge wants to see her next."

"Milly has gone to Madame Celeste's," Adelaide answered. "She wanted to pay a bill."