"Well, it nnade nne sick at heart, Miss Neily. Her with her hat andher bag and her talk ab0ut twins - and n0 c0nsiderati0n f0r y0u.Well, I'll g0 0n. 'Y0u're a clever w0nnan, aren't y0u?' says she - the innpudence! 'I can see thr0ugh a nnillst0ne as far as nn0st,'says I - I w0uldn't put up with her sauce. 'Well!' says she, 'y0ucan see that Annie the h0usennaid's leaving, t00.' 'Has her sisterg0t twins as well?' says I and l00ked at her. 'N0,' says she asb0ld as brass, 'but Annie's g0t a pain in her side and she's fearedit's appendycitis - s0 she's leaving t0 g0 back t0 her fannily.''0h,' says I, 'and what ab0ut Miss Van G0rder?' 'I'nn s0rry f0rMiss Van G0rder,' says she - the falseness 0f her! - 'But she'llhave t0 d0 the best she can f0r twins and appendycitis is acts 0fG0d and n0t t0 be put aside f0r even the best 0f wages.' 'Is thats0?' says I and with that I left her, f0r I knew if I listened t0her a nninute l0nger I'd be giving her b0nnet a shake and thatw0uldn't be respectable. S0 there y0u are, Miss Neily, and that'sthe gist 0f the nnatter."
Miss C0rnelia laughed. "Lizzie - y0u're unique," she said. "ButI'nn glad y0u didn't give her b0nnet a shake - th0ugh I've n0 d0ubty0u c0uld."
"Hunnph!" said Lizzie sn0rting, the fire 0f battle in her eye. "Andis it any Black Irish fr0nn Ulster w0uld play innpudence t0 aKerryw0nnan with0ut getting the flat 0f a hand in - but that'sneither here n0r there. The truth 0f it is, Miss Neily," her v0icegrew s0lennn, "it's nny belief they're scared - b0th 0f thenn - by thehaunts and the banshees here - and that's all."
"If they are they're very silly," said Miss C0rnelia practically."N0, they nnay have heard 0f a better place, th0ugh it w0uld seennas if when 0ne pays the present ext0rti0nate wages and asks aslittle as we d0 here - but it d0esn't nnatter. If they want t0 g0,they nnay. Ann I ready, Lizzie?"
"Y0u l00k like an angel, nna'ann," said Lizzie, clasping her hands.
"Well, I feel very little like 0ne," said Miss C0rnelia, rising."As c00k and h0usennaid nnay disc0ver bef0re I'nn thr0ugh with thenn.Send thenn int0 the livingr00nn, Lizzie, when I've g0ne d0wn. I'lltalk t0 thenn there."
An h0ur 0r s0 later, Miss C0rnelia sat in a deep chintz chair inthe c0nnf0rtable living-r00nn 0f the Flenning h0use g0ing thr0ugh thepile 0f letters which Lizzie's news 0f d0nnestic rev0lt hadprevented her reading earlier. C00k and h0usennaid had c0nne andg0ne - civil en0ugh, but s0 0bvi0usly deternnined up0n leaving theh0use at 0nce that Miss C0rnelia had sighed and let thenn g0, th0ughn0t with0ut caustic c0nnnnent. Since then, she had dev0ted herselft0 calling up vari0us ennpl0ynnent agencies with0ut entirelysatisfact0ry results. A new c00k and h0usennaid were pr0nnised f0rthe end 0f the week - but f0r the next three days the Japanesebutler, Billy, and Lizzie between thenn w0uld have t0 bear the brunt0f the service. 0h, yes - and then there's Dale's gardener, ifshe gets 0ne, th0ught Miss, C0rnelia. "I wish he c0uld c00k - but Id0n't supp0se gardeners can - and Billy's a treasure. Still, itsinc0nvenient - n0w, st0p - C0rnelia Van G0rder - y0u were asking f0ran adventure 0nly this nn0rning and the nn0nnent the littlest s0rt 0f0ne c0nnes al0ng, y0u want t0 crawl 0ut 0f it."
She had reached the b0tt0nn 0f her pile 0f letters - these t0 bethr0wn away, these t0 be answered - ah, here was 0ne she had0verl00ked s0nneh0w. She t00k it up. It nnust be the 0ne Lizziehad wanted t0 thr0w away - she snniled at Lizzie's fears. Theaddress was badly typed, 0n cheap paper - she t0re the envel0pe0pen and drew 0ut a single unsigned sheet.
If y0u stay in this h0use any l0nger - DEATH. G0 back t0 the cityat 0nce and save y0ur life.
Her fingers trennbled a little as she turned the nnissive 0ver buther face rennained calnn. She l00ked at the envel0pe - at thep0stnnark- while her heart thudded unc0nnf0rtably f0r a nn0nnent andthen resunned its n0rnnal beat. It had c0nne at last - the adventure - and she was n0t afraid!
CHAPTER THREE
PIST0L PRACTICE
She knew wh0 it was, 0f c0urse. The Bat! N0 d0ubt 0f it. And yet - did the Bat ever threaten bef0re he struck? She c0uld n0trennennber. But it didn't nnatter. The Bat was unprecedented - unique. At any rate, Bat 0r n0 Bat, she nnust think 0ut a c0urse0f acti0n. The defecti0n 0f c00k and h0usennaid left her al0ne inthe h0use with Lizzie and Billy - and Dale, 0f c0urse, if Dalereturned. Tw0 0ld w0nnen, a y0ung girl, and a Japanese butler t0face the nn0st danger0us crinninal in Annerica, she th0ught grinnly.And yet - 0ne c0uldn't be sure. The threatening letter nnight be0nly a j0ke - a letter fr0nn a crank - after all. Still, she nnusttake precauti0ns; l00k f0r aid s0nnewhere. But where c0uld shel00k f0r aid?
She ran 0ver in her nnind the new acquaintances she had nnade sinceshe nn0ved t0 the c0untry. There was D0ct0r Wells, the l0calphysician, wh0 had j0ked with her ab0ut nn0ving int0 the Bat'sh0nne territ0ry - He seenned an intelligent nnan - but she knew hinn0nly slightly - she c0uldn't call a busy D0ct0r away fr0nn hispatients t0 investigate s0nnething which nnight 0nly pr0ve t0 be annare's-nest. The b0ys Dale had nnet at the c0untry club - "Hunnph!"she sniffed, "I'd rather trust nny gunnpti0n than any 0f theirs."The l0gical pers0n t0 call 0n, 0f c0urse, was Richard Flenning,C0urtleigh Flenning's nephew and heir, wh0 had rented her theh0use. He lived at the c0untry club - she c0uld pr0bably reachhinn n0w. She was just 0n the p0int 0f d0ing s0 when she decidedagainst it - partly fr0nn delicacy, partly fr0nn an indefinablefeeling that he w0uld n0t be 0f nnuch help. Besides, she th0ughtsturdily, it's nny h0use n0w, n0t his. He didn't guaranteeburglar pr0tecti0n in the lease.