"Children!" he exclaimed, "Of course; we spoke of them on the way down."
"I know; that was what made me wonder when one of the lads playing out
here in the street said there were no kids in the cottage."
"Oh, I see," a bit sarcastically. "So you have been amusing yourself
questioning the neighbours, have you?"
"To a very small extent," West confessed, keeping his temper. "One of the
players chased a stray ball under the automobile, and I asked him a
question or two. The cottage appeared so deserted, and you were absent
for such a length of time, I became somewhat curious."
"And what did he tell you?"
"Only that the occupants had moved in within a few days, and that he had
seen no kids about; no one in fact but a middling old woman."
"Did he mention any names?"
"No; I didn't ask. It was nothing to me."
"I should say it was not. So the kid told you there were no children,
did he? Well, you heard what Natalie said just now--which are you going
to believe?"
"The lady, of course," smilingly. "Surely this is no matter to
quarrel over."
"No, Captain West," she broke in, leaning forward in the seat, and
speaking again in the peculiar strained voice. "The boy was merely
mistaken. He had not seen the children because they were kept closely in
the house. They were turned out of their former home, and have absolutely
nothing; no furniture even; only straw to sleep on. It was most pitiful.
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