Page:Hard-pan; a story of bonanza fortunes (IA hardpanbonanza00bonnrich).pdf/68

56 shield of his glasses, narrowed to mere lines. For a moment, as their cold gleam met hers, she shrank, for she thought he was angry, and, like other people, Letitia was afraid of John Gault's anger. Then he smiled at her, and said:

"If you ever have to earn your living, Tishy, there 'll be no trouble about your vocation. You 'd make a fortune as a female detective. I never saw such wonderful ability. Why, Sherlock Holmes is n't in it with you."

"You can laugh as much as you like," said Letitia, flushing under his sarcasms, "but I know I 'm right."

"What!" he said, coming to a standstill, and staring into her face with a frown of exaggerated intensity, "you actually don't believe me?"

"No, I don't," she retorted, doggedly combative.

"After all these years, has my noble example of truth and probity made no deeper impression on you? Oh, Letitia, I could n't have believed it of you!"

"I don't care what you say," she repeated, "or how you try to turn it off. It 's a real person, and I 'm certain she 's simply horrid. And if you take my advice, the less you have to do with her the better."

This was apparently too much for the so-