Free Aunt Sophie's Diamonds by Joan Smith Page B

first time the girls, who stood revealed in the full squalor of moth-eaten trousers, well spattered with mud, once-white shirts now yellowed and frayed, for clothing even in half-repair was never discarded at Swallowcourt. Their sodden hair was flattened against their heads, their faces and hands muddy from refilling the grave without shovels. “What on earth are you girls wearing?"
    "Old livery from the cedar press,” Luane told him nonchalantly. “We couldn't go there in our skirts."
    "You're filthy! Go upstairs and get cleaned up at once,” he said like a father scolding a batch of naughty children. “And leave your boots here if you please. They're soaked with mud. Loo, you know where to go—take Miss Milmont.” Gabriel went along to his room, and during their absence Hillary went to order some cocoa to warm them up.
    It was a little while before they felt themselves presentable, and even then they were not so much presentable as relatively clean, with their hair toweled dry, combed back, and pinned into a knot behind. When they came back to the library, hot cocoa was waiting by the kindling fire, with their jackets put to dry over chairs. An old blanket had been placed over the sofa to protect its covering from their damp trousers.
    "This is more like it,” Loo said, picking up the cup of cocoa and warming her hands on the cup.
    "If you haven't taken your death of cold, it's a wonder,” Hil said.
    "Never mind that,” Gabriel brushed it aside. “The deuce of it is it was all for nothing. We couldn't even see the diamonds, let alone get them out. How shall we go about it, Uncle?"
    Claudia cleared her throat in a meaningful way and frowned heavily at Gabriel, who ignored her. She was obliged to express herself verbally. “Am I to understand Sir Hillary is to be included in our adventure?"
    "If he wants to...” Loo looked a question at Thoreau, whose eyes flickered to Miss Milmont.
    "I cannot think he would enjoy it in the least,” Claudia objected. “A dandy cannot wish to be digging a coffin out of a..."
    "A dandy!" he shouted.
    "Out of a muddy grave,” she continued, as though he had not spoken. “It will be pea soup by tomorrow if this deluge holds up. Then, too, there is the welding torch. What we really need is a blacksmith, I think."
    "No, we can't get Jed Flaro to come along—he's the smitty in the village, Claudia, and he is not the sort for an adventure,” Loo said sadly.
    "Well, then,” she answered, “we may have to do as Gabriel suggested and take the coffin away to perform the deed."
    "We can't bring it here unless Sir Hillary is one of us,” Loo pointed out.
    "The odious Sir Hillary,” he added, but all pretended not to notice.
    "And we cannot take it home to Swallowcourt because of Jonathon,” Loo continued.
    "If necessary, I might cause a diversion within, while you are doing the deed in the stables,” Claudia considered. “I am very good at hysterics, or I could let Jonathon make love to me."
    "Lucky Jonathon,” Hillary said aside and was again ignored.
    "Cousin!” Loo smiled in admiration. “Didn't I tell you she was all right, Gab? Yes, let us do it at Swallowcourt. I wish I could be both places at once, to see Jonathon make love to you."
    "Yes, but really, Uncle Hil could help us enormously if he would like to join us,” Gabriel said hopefully.
    "I shouldn't like to deprive Miss Milmont of her lovemaking, or hysterics, as the case may be."
    She smiled at him vaguely, unruffled, but it was Gabriel, eager for his guardian's help, who spoke up. “The thing is, even if we manage to get the coffin to Swallowcourt, and it is very heavy, we three could never lift it, I wouldn't know how to get it open."
    "Would you know how, Sir Hillary?” Claudia asked.
    "Certainly."
    Luane and Claudia exchanged questioning looks. “A sign of good will is usually required before admitting a new partner to a venture,” the elder said.
    "You might take my filling in the grave for good will,”