Janus combed his whiskers
with the fingers of one hand. Jim, the driver, sprang to his feet, his
face crimson with anger.
"I won't stand for that. Why should I throw the old stuff in the
river?" he demanded indignantly.
"I beg your pardon. I did not accuse you of it," said Harriet. "I
know you did not. It was some other person who threw the packs into
the river."
They gazed at her in amazement.
"Harriet, what _do_ you mean?" cried the guardian.
"If she had lived up here two hundred years ago or so the people would
have tied her to a stake and set fire to her," declared Janus,
punctuating his declaration with a series of quick, emphatic nods.
"The driver placed the pack behind the boulder and against the rocks,"
said Harriet. "Surely, he knew where he left the things. What is
more, I looked while he had gone in search of them, and, as I've
already said, saw where he had left the pack. The rest was easy to
understand. The packs could not possibly have got into the river
unless they had been thrown there."
"But who----" began Jim.
"I don't know. That it was none of our party goes without saying.
Pages:
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81