The Beloved Stranger by Grace Livingston Hill

Author:Grace Livingston Hill
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781607427285
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2012-01-04T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Lutie sped on swift feet and was presently back again, her eyes shining, a tiny green particle held in the palm of her hand.

Miss Catherwood examined it carefully and Sherrill drew close.

“It is, it is!” cried Sherrill. “It’s one of the wee little stones by the clasp, Aunt Pat!”

“Yes,” said Aunt Pat grimly. “Whoever got away with the rest of the stones missed this one anyway.”

Then the old lady turned to Lutie.

“Well, you’ve done me another favor, Lutie. Here’s a bit of money I happen to have in hand. Take it and run home now and get something extra nice for supper just for my thanks offering. Tell your mother I’ll be over soon.”

When Lutie had finished her happy and incoherent thanks and gone, Sherrill came and put her arms around the old lady’s neck.

“You are wonderful, Aunt Pat!” she said and kissed her tenderly.

“Nonsense!” said the old lady with an embarrassed grin. “Nothing wonderful about it! What’s money for if it isn’t to help along your fellow men and women? And besides, you don’t know but I may have my own selfish reasons for doing it.”

“A lot of people don’t feel that way about it, Aunt Pat!”

“Well, that’s their opinion!” she answered. “All I’ve got to say is they miss a lot, then.”

“But Aunt Pat, aren’t you going to do anything more about this now? Aren’t you going to call the police and report the loss, or—ask anybody, or anything? Aren’t you even going to tell the servants?”

“I’ve already told the servants that someone who was here last night lost a valuable necklace, and offered a good-sized reward for finding it, but only Gemmie knows it was your necklace. Gemmie would miss it, of course, when she came to put your things away. She was always very fond of those jewels and was pleased that I was giving them to you. She would have to know. But Gemmie won’t say anything.”

“But dear Aunt Pat! I do want everything possible done to find it even if it makes a lot of unpleasantness for me. I’d rather have it found. To think that you kept it all these years and then I should lose it the very first time I wore it! Oh, Aunt Pat, I must get it back to you!”

“Back to me!” snorted the old lady, quite incensed. “It’s not mine anymore. It’s yours, child, and I mean to have it back to you, if possible of course, but if not there’s nothing to break your heart about. Stop those hysterics and smile. You are just as well off as you were last week. Better, I think, for you are rid of that selfish pig of a lover of yours!”

Sherrill suddenly giggled and then buried her face on her aunt’s shoulder.

“Aunt Pat,” she said mournfully, “why do you suppose this had to happen to me? Why did I have to be punished like this?”

“I wouldn’t call it punishment, child,” said the old lady, patting Sherrill’s shoulder. “I’d say

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