Witch Winnie's Mystery, or The Old Oak Cabinet Part 12

"Is this the only picture which you intend to exhibit?" Madame asked, after a moment, during which she had a.s.sured herself that the face on the canvas was utterly unlike any of her pupils.

"It is the only one that I have had time to paint this season,"

Professor Waite replied. "The face bore at one time a resemblance to Miss Armstrong's, but I purposely destroyed that resemblance and shall send it in as you see it."

Madame seemed somewhat relieved, but she turned toward Adelaide, who had seated herself and was staring at the picture, her heart filled with a vague regret that she had written so unkind a letter.

"Young ladies," said Madame solemnly, "you have heard the questions which I have asked Professor Waite. Certain accusations have been made which have greatly troubled me. It has been suspected that a clandestine flirtation and correspondence has for some time been carried on between your professor and one of the members of this school. Hitherto I have paid no attention to these reports, as they rested only on suspicion, but this morning startling evidence has been produced, and before bringing it forward I call upon any young lady who has been guilty of such an indiscretion to antic.i.p.ate the discovery of her fault by a full confession." No one responded. The accusation was so much more serious than the truth, that Adelaide did not imagine that she was the suspected culprit. Dead silence, in the midst of which Madame produced the fateful letter. Adelaide started and Madame asked in awful tones:

"Will any young lady present acknowledge that she has written this letter?"

Winnie and Adelaide each rose promptly.

Madame frowned. "Have we two claimants?" she asked.

"I am responsible for the contents of that note," said Adelaide.

"But I wrote it," added Winnie, "and I demand that it be read aloud."

It seemed to me that Winnie was absolutely insane, and even Adelaide seemed to feel that there was no necessity of rus.h.i.+ng so recklessly on the spears of the enemy.

Professor Waite looked completely mystified, and Madame said very seriously:

"You will see, Professor, that this note is directed to you, and that it has not been opened. I could not take that liberty; but Miss Noakes discovered it being sent in a very irregular manner, which justified her in confiscating it. There are other suspicious matters connected with it, which I trust its contents will fully explain."

I felt that the crucial moment had arrived. Miss Noakes was absolutely radiant, and sat rubbing her hands with ghoulish glee. Madame looked troubled but judicial. The professor was a favourite of hers, but Miss Noakes had brought too weighty an accusation to be glossed over.

A silence like that before a thunder-clap reigned. Winnie covered her face with her handkerchief and shook--could it be with suppressed laughter? If so, it seemed to me that she must be going insane.

Professor Waite opened the letter and glanced over its contents. "This note is from Miss Winifred De Witt," he said to Madame, "and since I have her permission, I will read it aloud." And to our utter astonishment, Professor Waite read--not the indignant letter which Adelaide had dictated, but the following:

PROFESSOR WAITE.

_Dear Sir_: May I have your permission to place my easel on the balcony in front of the corridor window and make a study of a sunrise effect as seen across the roofs? The view is so very beautiful that Miss Noakes spends much of her time there absorbed in its enjoyment.

Very respectfully yours, WINIFRED DE WITT.

Professor Waite politely handed this effusion to Madame. Miss Noakes s.n.a.t.c.hed it from her hand and glared at it with the look of a foiled a.s.sa.s.sin. Madame bit her lips with annoyance and scowled at Miss Noakes. She was evidently angry with her for having caused her to arraign Professor Waite on insufficient testimony and creating a scene derogatory to her own dignity. She quickly recovered her self-possession, however, and remarked loftily:

"Miss De Witt, when you have any future communications to make with your professor, pray do so in a more fitting manner. Placing notes under doors is really unworthy of any young lady in my school."

"So is listening at windows," Cynthia whispered to Winnie. Madame turned to Professor Waite and expressed herself as much pleased that this very serious accusation had been proved to be founded on an entire mistake.

She had herself felt perfect confidence in the integrity of Professor Waite and the propriety of her pupils throughout the entire affair, and had only investigated it to give the slander its proper refutation: and her stiff silk dress rustled with dignity out of the studio.

As for Miss Noakes, she simply disappeared, "evaporated," as Milly expressed it. The door had hardly closed upon Madame before our long-repressed feelings found vent in laughter. Winnie congratulated Professor Waite on the part of the school that he had been found innocent of so heinous a crime. The girls swarmed up to shake hands with him. Those who could not grasp his hand shook the skirts of his coat.

Exuberant confusion reigned. Milly was dissolved in happy tears, and even Adelaide smiled when Professor Waite expressed his regret that Miss Noakes had connected their names in so disagreeable a manner.

It was not until the occupants of the Amen Corner had gathered in their study parlor that Adelaide said:

"But I really do not understand what became of my note; the one I dictated to Winnie and tucked under the door."

"Winnie, how did you manage to steal it?" Cynthia asked.

"I didn't take it from Snooks," Winnie replied. "It struck me that Adelaide had expressed herself rather strongly, and that she would regret it after she had cooled down, and if she didn't, she ought to. So while you were investigating the eavesdropping I destroyed that note, wrote one of my own and sealed it up in its place."

"And I've really put this note of yours under the door?" Adelaide asked.

"Yes, my dear, and that is why I have not shared Tib's anxiety since we knew that it had been confiscated. Don't you think that dig about Snooks enjoying the scenery of the back yard was rather good?" and Winnie chuckled with enjoyment of her own impertinence. "You should have seen her face when Professor Waite read that. Nebuchadnezzar's when he ordered Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego to the burning, fiery furnace must have been amiable in comparison. She would have seen me boiled in oil with pleasure. I haven't enjoyed anything so much for ages."

CHAPTER VIII.

IN THE MESHES OF A GOLDEN NET.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Of course Adelaide did not feel it necessary to tell Mr. Mudge all the consequences of our Halloween party, but only the facts of our having used the turret staircase on that memorable night.

"And now," she said, with a laugh, "Mr. Mudge has gone racing off to investigate Professor Waite. I seem doomed to get that poor man into trouble. Though of course he never could be suspected of this robbery."

Milly had entered while Adelaide was speaking, and she uttered a little cry of dismay. "Professor Waite suspected! that could never be!"

"Circ.u.mstances are against him," Winnie replied. "Mr. Mudge believes that the robbery was committed between twelve o'clock and a quarter past. Now, if Professor Waite was in the studio at that time----"

"He was earlier than usual," Milly replied. "I heard him come up the staircase. You know the head of our bed is right against the turret wall. Someway, I always hear his step on the stair, and then he usually whistles an air from one of the operas. Last night he whistled the Wedding March in 'Lohengrin.'"

"Then you were lying awake, too, last night," Winnie remarked. "Did you hear me moving about in this room?"

"Yes," Milly replied hesitatingly.

"Why didn't you say so before?"

"There didn't seem to be any necessity of telling of it," Milly replied.

"You thought it might throw suspicion on me?"

"Oh, no," Milly disclaimed. "No one could suspect you, Winnie, or Professor Waite, either; the ideas are equally absurd."

"Unless it is proved that the robbery was committed before Professor Waite came up the stairs, it may not seem at all absurd to Mr. Mudge,"

Winnie continued mercilessly. "Tib and I saw him examining the door into the studio, and he seemed possessed with the idea that the burglar entered the room from the studio. I know, too, that Mr. Mudge examined Professor Waite's tool chest in the studio, and that he found the broken lock in it, with a screw-driver and other tools, showing that Professor Waite had been tinkering with the door, trying unsuccessfully to mend the lock, as we all know."

"You know this! How did you find it out?" Adelaide asked, and Winnie replied:

"Professor Waite wanted to use his screw-driver and went to his tool chest after it during the painting lesson to-day. It was gone; so was the lock to the door. He hunted everywhere, and told me that he was afraid that Miss Noakes had been in his studio and had discovered the broken lock, and that we would be called in question for that old sc.r.a.pe. I felt sure from the first that it was Mr. Mudge, but I did not mention him, for Madame told us to say nothing about the robbery outside of our own circle."

"I would do anything to keep Professor Waite out of trouble," Milly said. "I am the only one who knows that he was in the studio, and I will not tell."