“No.”

“I thought not.”  He turned toward the principal.  How about this girl’s board money?” he asked.  “When did he say he’d send it?”

“He paid me in advance, to the end of the present term,” answered the agitated Miss Stearne.

“Foxy old boy!  Seemed to think of everything.  I’m going, now; but take this warning—­both of you.  Don’t gabble about what I’ve said.  Keep the secret.  If nothing gets out, Hathaway may think the coast is clear and it’s safe for him to come back.  In that case I—­or someone appointed by the Department—­will get a chance to nab him.  That’s all.  Good day.”

He made his exit from the room without ceremony, leaving Mary Louise and Miss Stearne staring fearfully at one another.

“It—­it’s—­dreadful!” stammered the teacher, shrinking back with a moan.

“It would be, if it were true,” said the girl.  “But Gran’pa Jim is no criminal, we all know.  He’s the best man that ever lived, and the whole trouble is that this foolish officer has mistaken him for someone else.  I heard him, with my own ears, tell the man he was mistaken.”

Miss Stearne reflected.

“Then why did your grandfather run away?” she asked.

It was now Mary Louise’s turn to reflect, seeking an answer.  Presently she realized that a logical explanation of her grandfather’s action was impossible with her present knowledge.

“I cannot answer that question, Miss Stearne,” she admitted, candidly, “but Gran’pa Jim must have had some good reason.”

There was unbelief in the woman’s eyes—­unbelief and a horror of the whole disgraceful affair that somehow included Mary Louise in its scope.  The girl read this look and it confused her.  She mumbled an excuse and fled to her room to indulge in a good cry.

CHAPTER VI

UNDER A CLOUD

The officer’s injunction not to talk of the case of Colonel Weatherby was of little avail in insuring secrecy.  Oscar Dowd, who owned and edited the one weekly newspaper in town, which appeared under the title of “The Beverly Beacon,” was a very ferret for news.  He had to be; otherwise there never would have been enough happenings in the vicinity to fill the scant columns of his little paper, which was printed in big type to make the items and editorials fill as much space as possible.

Uncle Eben met the editor and told him the Colonel had gone away suddenly and had vacated the Vandeventer mansion and put Mary Louise with Miss Stearne to board.  Thereat, Oscar Dowd scented “news” and called on Miss Stearne for further information.  The good lady was almost as much afraid of an editor as of an officer of the law, so under Oscar’s rapid-fire questioning she disclosed more of the dreadful charge against Colonel Weatherby than she intended to.  She even admitted the visit of the secret service agent, but declined to give details of it.