Now we got
to find this fellow--what did you say his name was, sir?"
"Hobart--Jim Hobart; that is he was known by that name there."
"And you say he has simply dropped out o' sight?"
"That's true; never left a clue behind him."
"Well, sir, I'm not quite so sure about that. You listen to me, sir. I
walked out to Fairlawn from the car-line, an' come in across the fields
to the house. I didn't have no good excuse for goin' back there, sir, an'
was sorter afraid to meet up with Miss Natalie. She might have thought I
was just spyin' 'round. But I didn't have no need for being afraid, for
it seems she'd driven into town about noon, an' hadn't got back. There
wasn't nobody but the servant around the place, sir. Do you remember
Lizzie, the second maid--sorter full face, an' light hair?"
West nodded, wondering what all this might be leading to.
"Well, she an' I always hit it off together, an' I talked with her quite
a bit. She's goin' to quit too, because of something what happened, so it
was safe enough to question her. She told me, sir, that Miss Natalie had
a telephone call this morning that took her into the city. Lizzie she
went to the 'phone when it rang, an' it was a man's voice. He wouldn't
leave no message, but insisted on speaking to Miss Natalie. Lizzie had to
call her down from upstairs."
"Did the girl overhear the conversation?"
"Not so as to make very much out of it, sir. She was sorter
interested, the man's voice being strange, and hung around in the hall
listening, but about all she could make out was what Miss Natalie
said.
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