CHAPTER XVIII. MARY LOUISE GROWS SUSPICIOUS

And so Sarah Judd's fate was decided. She prepared their Sunday morning breakfast and cooked it quite skillfully. Ha preparato la colazione della domenica mattina e l'ha cucinata con grande maestria. Her appearance was now more tidy and she displayed greater energy than on the previous evening, when doubtless she was weary from her long walk. Il suo aspetto era ora più ordinato e mostrava maggiore energia rispetto alla sera precedente, quando senza dubbio era stanca per la lunga camminata. Mrs. Conant was well pleased with the girl and found the relief from clearing the table and "doing" the dishes very grateful. La signora Conant era molto soddisfatta della ragazza e trovava molto grato il sollievo di sparecchiare la tavola e "lavare" i piatti. Their Sunday dinner, which Sarah prepared unaided and served promptly at one o'clock, their usual hour, was a pleasant surprise to them all. "The girl is a treasure," commented Mrs. Conant, contentedly. "La ragazza è un tesoro", commentò soddisfatta la signora Conant. Sarah Judd was not talkative. When told she might stay she merely nodded her red head, displaying neither surprise nor satisfaction. Quando le fu detto che poteva restare, si limitò ad annuire con la testa rossa, senza mostrare né sorpresa né soddisfazione. Her eyes had a habit of roving continually from face to face and from object to object, yet they seemed to observe nothing clearly, so stolid was, their expression. I suoi occhi avevano l'abitudine di vagare continuamente da un volto all'altro e da un oggetto all'altro, eppure sembravano non osservare nulla con chiarezza, tanto era stolida la loro espressione. Mary Louise tried to remember where she had noted a similar expression before, but could not locate it.

Miss Lord came over that afternoon and when told about the new maid and the manner of her appearance seemed a little startled and uneasy. La signorina Lord arrivò quel pomeriggio e, quando le fu detto della nuova cameriera e del modo in cui era apparsa, sembrò un po' stupita e inquieta.

"I must see what she looks like," said she, "for she may prove a congenial companion for my own maid, who is already sulking because the place is so lonely." "Devo vedere com'è fatta", disse, "perché potrebbe essere una compagna congeniale per la mia cameriera, che è già imbronciata perché il posto è così solitario". And presently Sarah Judd came out upon the lawn to ask Mrs. Conant's further instructions and this gave Agatha the desired opportunity to examine her closely. Di lì a poco Sarah Judd uscì sul prato per chiedere ulteriori istruzioni alla signora Conant e questo diede ad Agatha l'opportunità desiderata di esaminarla da vicino. The inspection must have been satisfactory, for an expression of distinct relief crossed the lovely face. L'ispezione deve essere stata soddisfacente, perché un'espressione di netto sollievo attraversa il bel viso.

That Sunday evening they all went down to the Bigbee place in Miss Lord's motor car, where the lady entertained her guests at a charming luncheon. La domenica sera sono andati tutti a casa Bigbee con l'auto della signorina Lord, dove la signora ha intrattenuto i suoi ospiti con un delizioso pranzo. The Bigbee place was more extensive than Hillcrest Lodge, as it consisted of a big, rambling residence and numerous outbuildings; but it was not nearly so cosy or homelike, nor so pleasantly situated. La casa di Bigbee era più estesa di Hillcrest Lodge, in quanto consisteva in una grande residenza a schiera e in numerosi annessi; ma non era altrettanto accogliente e familiare, né così piacevolmente situata.

Miss Lord's maid, Susan, was somewhat a mystery to the Hillcrest people. She dressed almost as elaborately as her mistress and performed her duties grudgingly and with a scowl that seemed to resent Miss Lord's entertaining company. Si vestiva in modo elaborato quasi quanto la sua padrona e svolgeva le sue mansioni a malincuore e con un cipiglio che sembrava non gradire la divertente compagnia della signorina Lord. Stranger still, when they went home that night it was the maid who brought out the big touring car and drove them all back to Hillcrest Lodge in it, handling the machine as expertly as Agatha could do. Cosa ancora più strana, quella sera, quando tornarono a casa, fu la cameriera a tirare fuori la grande auto da turismo e a riportarli tutti a Hillcrest Lodge, maneggiando la macchina con la stessa perizia con cui Agatha sapeva farlo. Miss Lord pleaded a headache as an excuse for not driving them herself. La signorina Lord ha addotto un mal di testa come scusa per non averli accompagnati lei stessa.

Sarah Judd opened the door for them. As she stood under the full light of the hall lamp Mary Louise noticed that the maid Susan leaned from her seat in the car and fixed a shrewd glance on Sarah's unconscious face. Mentre si trovava sotto la piena luce della lampada dell'ingresso, Mary Louise notò che la cameriera Susan si era sporta dal suo posto in macchina e aveva fissato uno sguardo sagace sul volto inconsapevole di Sarah. Then she gave a little shake of her head and drove away. Poi scosse un po' la testa e partì.

"There's something queer about the folks at Bigbee's," Mary Louise confided to Irene, as she went to her friend's room to assist her in preparing for bed. "C'è qualcosa di strano nella gente di Bigbee", confidò Mary Louise a Irene, mentre andava nella stanza dell'amica per aiutarla a prepararsi per andare a letto. "Agatha Lord kept looking at that velvet ribbon around your neck, to-night, as if she couldn't keep her eyes off it, and this afternoon she seemed scared by the news of Sarah Judd's arrival and wasn't happy until she had seen her. "Agatha Lord continuava a guardare quel nastro di velluto al tuo collo, stasera, come se non riuscisse a staccarne gli occhi, e oggi pomeriggio sembrava spaventata dalla notizia dell'arrivo di Sarah Judd e non era contenta finché non l'avesse vista. Then, again, that queer maid of Agatha's, Susan, drove us home so she could see Sarah Judd for herself. How do you account for all that, Irene?" Come si spiega tutto questo, Irene?". "I don't account for it, my dear. "Non me lo spiego, mia cara. You've been mixed up with so many mysteries that you attach suspicion to the most commonplace events. Siete stati coinvolti in così tanti misteri da attribuire sospetti agli eventi più banali. What should there be about Sarah Judd to frighten anyone?" Cosa dovrebbe esserci di Sarah Judd per spaventare qualcuno?". "She's a stranger here, that's all, and our neighbors seem suspicious of strangers. I'm not questioning poor, innocent Sarah, understand; but if Agatha and her maid are uneasy about strangers coming here it seems likely there's a reason for it." "You're getting morbid, Mary Louise. "Stai diventando morbosa, Mary Louise. I think I must forbid you to read any more of my romances," said Irene lightly, but at heart she questioned the folks at Bigbee's as seriously as her friend did. Credo di doverti proibire di leggere altri miei romanzi", disse Irene con leggerezza, ma in fondo interrogava la gente di Bigbee con la stessa serietà della sua amica. "Don't you think Agatha Lord stole that missing book?" asked Mary Louise, after a little reflection.

"Why should she?" Irene was disturbed by the question but was resolved not to show it.

"To get the letter that was in it—the letter you would not let me read." "What are your affairs to Agatha Lord?" "Quali sono i suoi affari con Agatha Lord?". "I wish I knew," said Mary Louise, musingly. "Vorrei tanto saperlo", disse Mary Louise, con aria pensierosa. "Irene, I've an idea she came to Bigbee's just to be near us. "Irene, ho idea che sia venuta da Bigbee solo per stare vicino a noi. There's something stealthy and underhanded about our neighbors, I'm positive. Sono certo che i nostri vicini hanno qualcosa di furtivo e subdolo. Miss Lord is a very delightful woman, on the surface, but—" La signorina Lord è una donna molto piacevole, in apparenza, ma...". Irene laughed softly, as if amused.

"There can be no reason in the world, Mary Louise," she averred, "why your private affairs are of any interest to outsiders, except—" "Non c'è nessuna ragione al mondo, Mary Louise", affermò, "per cui i tuoi affari privati debbano interessare gli estranei, tranne che...". "Well, Irene?" "Except that you are connected, in a way, with your grandfather." "A parte il fatto che sei collegato, in un certo senso, con tuo nonno". "Exactly! That is my idea, Irene. Ever since that affair with O'Gorman, I've had a feeling that I was being spied upon." Da quella storia con O'Gorman, ho avuto la sensazione di essere spiato". "But that would be useless. "Ma sarebbe inutile. You never hear from Colonel Weatherby, except in the most roundabout ways." Non si hanno mai notizie del colonnello Weatherby, se non nei modi più rocamboleschi". "They don't know that; they think I MIGHT hear, and there's no other way to find where he is. "Non lo sanno; pensano che io possa sentire e che non ci sia altro modo per scoprire dove si trova. Do you think," she added, "that the Secret Service employs female detectives?" "Perhaps so. There must be occasions when a woman can discover more than a man." "Then I believe Miss Lord is working for the Secret Service—the enemies of Gran'pa Jim." "I can't believe it." "What is on that black ribbon around your neck?" "Cosa c'è in quel nastro nero che hai al collo?". "A miniature of my mother." "Oh. To-night it got above your dress—the ribbon, I mean—and Agatha kept looking at it." Stanotte è arrivato sopra il tuo vestito - il nastro, intendo - e Agatha continuava a guardarlo". "A good detective wouldn't be caught doing such a clumsy thing, Mary Louise. "Un buon detective non si farebbe sorprendere a fare una cosa così maldestra, Mary Louise. And, even if detectives were placed here to watch your actions, they wouldn't be interested in spying upon ME, would they?" "I suppose not." "I've never even seen your grandfather and so I must be exempt from suspicion. I advise you, my dear, to forget these apprehensions, which must be purely imaginary. If a thousand spies surrounded you, they could do you no harm, nor even trap you into betraying your grandfather, whose present location is a complete mystery to you." Anche se un migliaio di spie vi circondassero, non potrebbero farvi del male, e nemmeno intrappolarvi per farvi tradire vostro nonno, la cui attuale posizione è per voi un completo mistero". Mary Louise could not help admitting this was true, so she kissed her friend good night and went to her own room. Mary Louise non poté fare a meno di ammettere che era vero, così diede il bacio della buonanotte all'amica e andò nella sua stanza.

Left alone, Irene put her hand to the ribbon around her neck and drew from her bosom an old-fashioned oval gold locket, as big as any ordinary watch but thinner. Rimasta sola, Irene mise la mano al nastro che portava al collo ed estrasse dal petto un medaglione ovale d'oro di vecchio stile, grande come un normale orologio ma più sottile. She opened the front of the ease and kissed her mother's picture, as was her nightly custom. Aprì la parte anteriore dell'agio e baciò la foto di sua madre, come era sua abitudine di notte. Then she opened the back and drew out a tightly folded wad of paper. Poi ne aprì il retro e tirò fuori un fascio di carta ben ripiegato. This she carefully spread out before her, when it proved to be the old letter she had found in the book. Lo stese con cura davanti a sé, quando si rivelò essere la vecchia lettera che aveva trovato nel libro.

Once again she read the letter carefully, poring over the words in deep thought. Ancora una volta lesse la lettera con attenzione, scrutando le parole con profonda attenzione.

"This letter," she murmured, "might indeed be of use to the Government, but it is of far more value to Mary Louise and—to her grandfather. "Questa lettera", mormorò, "potrebbe essere utile al governo, ma ha molto più valore per Mary Louise e per suo nonno. I ought not to lose it; nor ought I to allow anyone to read it, at present. Perhaps, if Agatha Lord has noticed the ribbon I wear, it will be best to find a new hiding place for the letter." She was in bed now, and lay looking around the room with speculative gaze. Ora era a letto e si guardava intorno con sguardo speculativo. Beside her stood her wheeled chair, with its cushion of dark Spanish leather. The girl smiled and, reaching for her work-basket, which was on a stand at the head of the bed, she drew out a pair of scissors and cut some of the stitches of the leathern cushion. La ragazza sorrise e, prendendo il suo cestino da lavoro, che si trovava su un supporto alla testa del letto, estrasse un paio di forbici e tagliò alcuni punti del cuscino di pelle. Then she tucked the letter carefully inside and with a needle and some black linen thread sewed up the place she had ripped open. Poi infilò con cura la lettera all'interno e con un ago e del filo di lino nero ricucì il punto che aveva strappato.

She had just completed this task when she glanced up and saw a face at her window—indistinctly, for even as she raised her head it drew back and faded into the outer gloom. Aveva appena terminato questo compito quando alzò lo sguardo e vide un volto alla finestra, indistinto, perché anche quando alzò la testa si ritrasse e svanì nella penombra esterna.

For a moment Irene sat motionless, looking at the window. Then she turned to the stand, where the lamp was, and extinguished the light. Poi si voltò verso il supporto, dove si trovava la lampada, e spense la luce.

An hour, perhaps, she sat upright in bed, considering what she should do. Then again she reached out in the darkness and felt for her scissors. Poi allungò di nuovo la mano nell'oscurità e cercò le forbici. Securing them, she drew the chair cushion upon the bed and felt along its edge for the place she had sewn. Assicurandole, tirò il cuscino della sedia sul letto e cercò lungo il bordo il punto in cui aveva cucito. She could not determine for some time which was the right edge but at last she found where the stitches seemed a little tighter drawn than elsewhere and this place she managed to rip open. Per un po' di tempo non riuscì a stabilire quale fosse il bordo giusto, ma alla fine trovò un punto in cui i punti sembravano un po' più stretti che altrove e riuscì a strapparlo. To her joy she found the letter and drew it out with a sigh of relief.

But now what to do with it was a question of vital importance. She dared not relight her lamp and she was helpless when out of her chair. Non osava riaccendere la lampada ed era impotente quando si alzava dalla sedia. So she put back the cushion, slid from the bed into the chair and wheeled herself in the dark to her dresser, which had a chenille cover. Così rimise a posto il cuscino, scivolò dal letto alla sedia e si mise a rotolare nel buio fino alla cassettiera, che aveva una copertura di ciniglia. Underneath this cover she spread the letter, deeming that so simple a hiding-place was likely to be overlooked in a hasty search and feeling that the letter would be safe there for the night, at least. Sotto questa copertura stese la lettera, ritenendo che un nascondiglio così semplice avrebbe potuto essere trascurato in una ricerca frettolosa e pensando che la lettera sarebbe stata al sicuro almeno per la notte.

She now returned to her bed. There was no use trying to resew the cushion in the dark. Era inutile cercare di ricucire il cuscino al buio. She lay awake for a long time, feeling a certain thrill of delight in the belief that she was a conspirator despite her crippled condition and that she was conspiring for the benefit of her dear friend Mary Louise. Rimase sveglia a lungo, provando un certo brivido di piacere nel credere di essere una cospiratrice nonostante la sua condizione di storpiatura e di stare cospirando per il bene della sua cara amica Mary Louise. Finally she sank into a deep slumber and did not waken till the sun was streaming in at the window and Mary Louise knocked upon her door to call her. Alla fine sprofondò in un sonno profondo e non si svegliò finché il sole non entrò dalla finestra e Mary Louise non bussò alla sua porta per chiamarla.

"You're lazy this morning," laughed Mary Louise, entering. "Let me help you dress for breakfast." Irene thanked her. No one but this girl friend was ever permitted to assist her in dressing, as she felt proud of her ability to serve herself. Her toilet was almost complete when Mary Louise suddenly exclaimed:

"Why, what has become of your chair cushion?" "Perché, che fine ha fatto il cuscino della sua sedia?". Irene looked toward the chair. The cushion was gone.

"Never mind," she said, although her face wore a troubled expression. "I must have left it somewhere. Here; I'll put a pillow in its place until I find it."