ourt caused the death of my distant
cousin Stanislaws, and robbed him of valuables which he was known to
keep in his bedroom. There was no account of these things when I
inherited; but as I could get nobody to come forward and swear to their
existence, much less give a description, I let the matter drop.

I have resolved to buy the Stanislaws house on Long Island, as to which
I hesitated when I wrote you last. Another communication has informed me
that I must give an answer at once, or the place will pass into other
hands. My fiancee, Miss Moore, admired the house when our party spent
several nights there some time ago, and I may decide to give her the
place as a wedding present. I must go to New York from Kidd's Pines
to-morrow morning, and fix this business up. I will call on you at your
office at five o'clock P. M. for a consultation, and should be glad if
you would secure the presence of Stanislaws' old valet whom you have
discovered. I should like to talk to him before he comes with me to
Kidd's Pines.

Yours truly,

E. CASPIAN.

XXXI

MOLLY WINSTON TO MERCEDES LANE

_Awepesha._

DEAREST:

I promised to write again soon, but there isn't yet the news I hoped to
tell. Indeed, I'm a little depressed and worried, though I've nailed my
flag of faith to the mast of the "Stormy Petrel!"

You shall know just what has happened.

I think I wrote you that Peter went to New York early the morning after
our night rush from Great Barrington to Long Island. I took it for
granted that his business there concerned the revelation he made to me
in Aunt Mary's garret; but he had no time, and perhaps no inclination,
to enter into details. He just said, "I'm off, and I hope everything
will go well. I shall get back to my 'diggings,' and see you either at
Awepesha or Kidd's Pines the minute I can finish up."

Caspian hung about till Peter was safely away, and then put in as much
deadly work as possible before leaving for New York. He was nice (as
nice as he knows how to be) to Larry and Pat, and bucked them up about
Kidd's Pines. That was the proper thing; but was it proper, or was it
simply Caspian-esque, to tell Patty at such a moment that he'd bought
the beautiful Stanislaws house I wrote you about, as a present for her?
Of course he mentioned the sum he was pay