“Ronald has been so impatient at our reluctance to do anything. Dear boy! One scarcely can blame him, for his fortune, too, is at stake, and he does not understand how low our funds are.” Iris hesitated as she finished lamely, “And so, after hours of debate, we decided that for the sake of your own uncle, Doris, we would ask you for money.”
“Of course you understand we intend to will everything to you at our death,” Azalea added hastily. “It will be your own uncle’s money, so it will be entirely a family affair.”
“That is why you invited me here?” Doris stammered.
“Yes,” Iris told her. “You will help us, won’t you?”
Doris did not know what to reply; in fact, the request left her a trifle dazed. She remembered that Marshmallow had jokingly told her the Misses Gates might ask for money, but she had not considered the matter seriously. She actually had believed that she was being invited to Locked Gates for the purpose of being informed of an inheritance of her own! What a blow to her hopes!
“I really don’t know what to say,” she murmured. “I must confess I have no idea how much money of my own I actually have.”
“Of course this has all been very sudden,” Iris said tactfully. “We can’t expect you to decide upon the instant, but after thinking it over, if you decide you can spare the money, we shall be eternally grateful.”
“Yes,” continued Azalea, taking up the subject. Her sister sank back in the big, old-fashioned rocker, like one in need of rest. “We realize the importance of not neglecting this business a day longer. You will consider it soon, won’t you, Doris, dear?”
She, too, now leaned back in her chair with something of a sigh of relief, making Doris aware of the fact that her assistance was expected and counted upon by her hostesses, who could from now on assume that she would lift their burden permanently.
Just then Cora, without any warning of her approach, entered the room, carrying a number of letters and several newspapers. She glanced at the faces of the thoughtful group, as though she were to be asked to remain, should her advice or assistance be required. However, they were so absorbed in what they had been discussing that they did not notice Cora’s being there, and, receiving no word of encouragement to remain, even for a moment, she bustled out of the door.
Wags bounded into the room, and came straight up to Doris, attempting to jump into her lap and to lick her hands and face caressingly.
Doris was glad of the interruption, for this gave her an opportunity to get up from her chair and shake the playful puppy off her lap.
As soon as she gracefully could do so, Doris excused herself and went to her room. She wished to be alone that she might think over what the twins had told her.
“Can it be that I have made a mistake about Ronald Trent?” she asked herself.
After all, she had heard him say only that he was having trouble securing money from the two sisters. But why, if his motives were honest, was he in league with Cora and Henry Sully?
Doris admitted that the problem was too weighty for her to solve at once.
CHAPTER XIV
A Valuable Find
Doris found herself unable to reach any decision concerning the loan which the Gates twins had asked her to make, and the following morning she was still thinking of the matter. Azalea and Iris tactfully avoided mentioning the subject at the breakfast table but she knew that it was foremost in their minds.
Any day Ronald Trent might return and when he came, he would expect the money. Doris disliked the man and had no desire to help him, but she felt sorry for the Misses Gates and wished that she could aid them in obtaining their inheritance. If only she knew that Ronald was acting honestly and in good faith!
After the morning work had been done, Azalea and Iris joined the girls on the lawn. Conversation was rather labored and it was obvious to Doris that the twins were under a strain.
“I am sorry we told you our troubles,” Iris said after a time. “It has ruined your visit, and you undoubtedly think that our sole reason for inviting you here was to ask for money.”
“Oh, no,” Doris assured her hastily. “I have enjoyed every minute here at Locked Gates. And I truly want to help you. I was thinking—”
She did not continue for just at that moment she caught the faint hum of an airplane engine. Scrambling up from the grass, and shading her eyes with her hand, she gazed eagerly skyward trying to locate the sound.
“I’m sure I heard an airplane, but I can’t see it. The sun is so bright!”
“Must have been your imagination,” Kitty teased. “Dave was here only the other day.”
“It is an airplane!” Doris cried excitedly. “And it’s coming this way! Oh, I hope it’s Dave.”
The Misses Gates laid down their sewing and watched the approaching plane with interest. Doris and Kitty were highly elated when they distinguished the red stars on the wings.
“Wonder if he’s going to drop another note?” Kitty murmured. “Aren’t you the lucky girl to have a flying Romeo?”
For once, Doris was not annoyed by her chum’s teasing. She was far too interested in watching the plane to even listen closely to what Kitty was saying.
They waved frantically as the plane approached. Two young men were in the cockpit, Dave and another pilot, and they both returned the greeting.
The plane circled over the mansion several times and Dave indicated that he intended to drop a message. They saw something white flutter from his hand.
The weighted note struck a nearby rhododendron bush, but, before the girls could reach it, Wags scooted ahead of them, thinking that it was a variation of his favorite game of “fetch the ball.”
“Wags!” Doris cried.
The little brown dog turned to regard her with surprise, and that gave the girls an opportunity to catch up with him. But before they could lay restraining hands upon him, he made another bolt for the rhododendron bush.
As Wags snapped up the bit of paper in his mouth, Doris and Kitty made a flying leap toward him. In the mad scramble the girls lost their balance and at the same moment clutched at the rhododendron branches for support. To their horror, their combined weight uprooted the bush and it suddenly gave way from the soft earth, sending them sprawling backwards.
Still clutching part of the bush they picked themselves up and looked to see what had become of Wags. He was standing not three yards away regarding them with saucy little eyes which seemed to say: “If you want this old paper just try to get it!”
They tried to coax him nearer, but he would not come, and as soon as they started toward him he would dart away, only to pause whenever they showed signs of giving up the chase. At last they managed to drive him into a corner and there, with considerable impatience, extracted the note from between his teeth.
Returning to the Misses Gates they humbly apologized for having broken the rhododendron bush, but the ladies had thoroughly enjoyed the wild chase and assured them that it was of no consequence.
“We had been planning to have that bush dug out,” Azalea laughed, “but you girls saved us the bother.”
“I think it very romantic to have a love letter delivered by airplane,” Iris declared.
Doris blushed.
“Oh, it isn’t a love letter,” she returned as she ripped open the envelope. “Dave isn’t a bit silly.”
Perhaps because she wished to prove her statement, she read the note aloud:
“If you and Kitty are free tomorrow and the Misses Gates have no objection, I shall drop in and take you for an airplane ride. Say about one o’clock, then we can have the entire afternoon. Dave.”
“Oh!” Kitty cried in delight. “I’ve always wanted to ride in a plane.”
“So have I,” Doris agreed enthusiastically. She glanced hopefully at Azalea and Iris. “May we go?”
“Why, certainly,” Azalea declared. “But aren’t you a little afraid?”
“Not with Dave,” Doris returned proudly. “Every one says he is a reliable pilot
and I know he wouldn’t offer to take us if he didn’t know it would be safe.”
The girls had been so excited over the note that they had failed to keep track of Wags. Turning, they were amused to see him pawing energetically near the uprooted rhododendron bush. Dirt was flying in every direction.
“What’s that little rascal after now?” Doris laughed.
“Probably a bone.”
“I’ll go see.”
She crossed the garden just as Wags picked up something in his mouth.
“Here, Wags, bring it here!” Doris commanded.
Wags hesitated, debating whether or not to obey, and then came forward, dropping his offering at his mistress’s feet.
“What in the world!” Doris exclaimed.
She picked up the curious object. It was a tiny box, water soaked and badly stained, and bore evidence that it had been buried for some time. Yet, for all its disfigurement, Doris saw that it was a jewel box.
“Kitty!” she cried. “Come here!”
Her chum already was flying toward her.
“Look what the dog dug up!” Doris exclaimed in excitement. “It’s a jewel box!”
“Well, don’t stand there staring at it,” Kitty chided. “Open it quick!”
Doris lifted the lid and gave a little cry of wonder. She scarcely could believe her own eyes.
There, nestled in a cushion of faded blue silk, lay a beautiful ruby ring! Doris saw at a glance that it was a genuine stone, and valuable.
“A ring!” Kitty gasped. “Where did it come from?”
“Under that rhododendron bush. It must have been there for ages. See how old the case is.”
“What a perfectly gorgeous stone!” Kitty said, her eyes shining with admiration. “Some one must have lost it, don’t you think?”
“But it was buried,” Doris reminded her. “If we hadn’t uprooted that rhododendron bush, we’d never have discovered it.”
The excited comments of the girls had brought the Misses Gates hurrying across the yard. They too exclaimed in admiration as they saw the ring.
“Where did you get it?” Azalea asked tensely.
“I took it away from Wags,” Doris informed her. “It must have been buried under that bush.”
“But why was it put there?” Iris murmured. “I can’t understand it.”
“I thought perhaps it might have been a family jewel,” Doris suggested.
“Oh, no,” Azalea protested. “I never saw the ring before in my life.”
“Isn’t there any clue as to the identity of the owner?” Kitty questioned.
“There doesn’t seem to be,” Doris responded.
She lifted the ring from the tiny case and as she did so, noticed for the first time a scrap of paper, yellowed with age.
She read the name on it at a glance and a startled expression came into her eyes.
“It says ‘John,’” she said in a strained voice.
“John!”
Echoing the name, Azalea began to tremble. Iris’s face had gone chalk white.
Doris had turned the paper over and was reading something upon the back. The twins scarcely heard her.
“To my beloved sweetheart,” the note said, “the one I have chosen to be my wife. This ring is a sign of my decision. Please wear it always.”
“He did choose,” Doris declared tensely.
Azalea and Iris stood as motionless as statues.
“But which one?” Azalea murmured.
Doris looked again at the message. It was so old and yellow that it was difficult to make out the writing, but unquestionably neither of the twins had been mentioned by name. Her silence communicated this to the others.
“If only we had known—” Iris murmured brokenly. “What a difference it might have made. That fatal night when Father—”
She choked and could not go on.
“It’s the most beautiful ring I ever saw,” Kitty declared.
She restrained her enthusiasm, noting that it seemed to pain the Misses Gates.
“Of course it belongs to you,” Doris said quietly, “even though your names aren’t mentioned.” She extended the ring toward the two ladies.
Iris straightened proudly and Azalea turned coldly away.
“It doesn’t belong to me,” she said tartly.
“I won’t touch it!” Iris declared indignantly.
“But it must belong to one of you,” Doris insisted. “What shall we do with it?”
Azalea was already walking rapidly toward the house. Iris, as pale as a ghost and looking as though she were about to cry, likewise turned away.
“I don’t care what you do with it,” she said. “I’ll never touch it as long as I live!”
Doris and Kitty, left in possession of the ring, stared at it rather blankly.
“Well, of all things!” Kitty exclaimed. “Do you think they’ll change their minds?”
“I’m afraid not. This note and the ring have opened up old wounds. Now they’ll always be tortured by thinking of what might have been.”
Being hampered by no sentimental attachments themselves, the girls each tried on the ring. It was too large for Kitty but it fit Doris’s third finger.
“The setting is certainly old fashioned,” Kitty commented, “but can’t you imagine how gorgeous it would look in a modern one! I think the Misses Gates are foolish not to want it.”
“The question is, what shall we do with it? We can’t very well wear it around in front of them. They’re so sensitive. And the ring doesn’t belong to us.”
“It doesn’t belong to any one,” Kitty declared. “The poor thing is an orphan! Until some one turns in a claim, though, let’s pretend it’s ours. This will probably be the nearest we’ll ever come to owning a ruby ring!”
She pirouetted around the room gaily, like a ballet dancer doing a special number, flashing the ring upon her finger.
“Careful, young lady,” admonished her chum. “Since it doesn’t fit you, you may fling it away in your ballet performance, never more to see the romantic jewel.”
She stopped her twirling and gazed at the sparkling gem upon her finger.
“It must be a perfect stone,” surmised Kitty, as she glanced admiringly at the jewel which caught the lights in its rich, deep tones.
“And more than that, think of the romance and the tragedy hidden away in its very heart,” and Doris glanced thoughtfully in the direction of the Locked Gates that appeared even more forbidding and austere since this new connection with them had been established.
A moment of silence followed, and Doris thought suddenly of her friend Dave, and wondered what he would think of the token and the story it symbolized.
CHAPTER XV
Questionable Characters
The Misses Gates did not appear at luncheon but kept to their individual rooms. Azalea sent word by Cora that she was ill with a headache and preferred to be alone; Iris offered no excuse. Kitty and Doris knew that they were still upset over the finding of the ruby ring.
“I almost wish Wags hadn’t dug it up,” Doris remarked dolefully. “It’s making the poor ladies feel so unhappy.”
The girls ate a rather forlorn meal in the big dining room. Cora waited on them in a more slipshod manner than usual and took no pains to conceal her dislike. Shortly after luncheon, they saw her leave the premises by the back gate.
“I’ll venture the Misses Gates don’t know she’s leaving,” Doris commented. “Cora thinks they’ll not find out she’s gone.”
The mansion seemed very quiet and desolate to the girls, and they found it difficult to settle down to reading.
“Why not see something of the town ourselves?” Doris suggested by way of a question. “We’re in for a dull time here this afternoon if we don’t bestir ourselves. Anyway, I must send Dave a message telling him we’ll go with him tomorrow.”
“Suits me fine,” Kitty agreed, putting aside her book. “But what shall we do about the ring? We can’t very well take it with us. We migh
t be robbed.”
At a loss to know what to do with the ruby, Doris had carried it around in her pocket, but now she removed the tiny case and studied it in perplexity.
“I wish the Gates sisters would accept it,” she murmured. “I’m scared to death we’ll lose it.”
“They won’t take it,” Kitty returned, “and you know it will pain them to bring up the subject again.”
“We can’t wear the ring, that’s certain, for it isn’t ours. We’ll have to hide it somewhere.”
“But where?”
“How about our bedroom?”
“You know Cora goes snooping around there. She might find it.”
“I know!” Doris exclaimed. “We’ll hide it under the mattress. No one would ever think of looking there!”
“Great!” her chum approved. “Let’s do it now, while the coast is clear.”
They hurried upstairs and, closing the bedroom door, secreted the tiny jewel case beneath the mattress, taking care to rearrange the covers.
“Now we can forget about it,” Kitty declared.
However, both girls knew that as long as the ruby ring remained in their possession, they could not forget its existence. It was certain to give them many uneasy moments.
Satisfied that for the time being the jewel was safe, they left the mansion by the back gate.
Locked Gates was located at the edge of Rumson but it was only a short walk to the main part of the little city. The girls stopped first at the post office where they dispatched an air mail letter to Dave.
Then, as time rested heavily upon them, they dropped in at a corner drug store for an ice cream soda. Doris bought a few things she needed, and they continued down the street with no particular destination in view.
Not being acquainted with the town, they unwittingly turned down a street which led them toward the poorer section. They had gone a considerable distance before they realized their error.
“Let’s turn back,” Doris suggested. “I don’t like the appearance of this street. There are so many pool halls and gambling places.”
Abruptly they retraced their steps but, before they had gone far, Doris caught her chum by the sleeve.
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