could carry with them--and never; a word to a soul except what
Emily ran across to say to me."

"What was it?" he fairly shouted at her. But there were few interests
in Mrs. Quinlan's humdrum existence, and seldom did she have an
exciting incident to relate and an eager audience to hang upon her
words. She sat down ponderously and prepared to make the most of the
present occasion.

"I thought it was funny to see a man goin' into their yard at five
o'clock this mornin', but my tooth was so bad I forgot all about him
and it never come into my mind again until I seen them goin' away. I
sleep in the room just over yours, you know, Mr. Morrow, an' my tooth
ached so bad I couldn't sleep. It was five by my clock when I got up
to come down here an' get some hot vinegar, an' I don't know what made
me look out my winder, but I did. I seen a man come running down the
lane, keepin' well in the shaders, an' looking back as if he was
afraid he was bein' chased, for all the world like a thief. While I
looked, he turned in the Brunells' yard an' instead of knocking on the
door, he began throwin' pebbles up at the old man's bedroom winder.
Pretty soon it opened and Mr. Brunell looked out. Then he come down
quick an' met the man at the front door. They talked a minute, an' the
feller handed over somethin' that showed white in the light of the
street lamp, like a piece of paper. Mr. Brunell shut the door an' the
man ran off the way he had come. I come down an' got my hot vinegar
an' when I got back to my room I seen there were lights in Mr.
Brunell's room an' Emily's, an' one in the livin'-room, too, but my
tooth was jumpin' so I went straight to bed. About half an hour after
you'd left for business I was shakin' a rug out of the front
sittin'-room winder, when Emily come runnin' across the street.

"'Oh, Mrs. Quinlan!' she calls to me, an' I see she'd been cryin'.
'Mrs. Quinlan, we're goin' away!'

"'For good?' I asked.

"'Forever!' she says. 'Will you give a message to Mr. Morrow for me,
please? Tell him I'm sorry I was mistaken. I'm sorry to have found him
out!'

"She burst out cryin' again an' ran back as her father called her from
the porch. He was bringin' out a pile of suit-cases and roll-ups, and
pretty soon a taxicab drove up with a man inside. I couldn't see his
face--only his coat-sleeve. They got in an' went off kitin' an' that's
every last thing I know. What d'you s'pose she meant about findin' you
out, Mr. Morrow?"