I own, being aware, well. I'll risk it if he walked to the window, drawing his dressing gown about him, and raised the sash, to blink out at the glorious flood of sunshine. A Gila monster might have cast the same malevolent glare at the blue vault of the sky, as it emerged from its hole in the desert sand-duties!
This time he lifted the receiver from the hook, and in a thick voice called for a number.
Soon he received the connection. "Ah, can I speak to Myra?" he feigned a calm politeness that was in strange contrast to his trembling fingers.
Then he heard her voice over the wire, although bewilderment held him dumb for an instant.
"Yes, yes; who is it, please?"
"Myra. Myra? In is Arthur. Good morning, dear girl."
There was a note of irritation which surprised him as the girl's voice came back.
"Oh, it's you. Well, I didn't recognize your voice at first. You must have a cold." She hesitated, and then as an afterthought quickly added: "Arthur. We made a dreadful discovery last night. Come over as soon as you can, and I'll tell you about it."
Alden, at this juncture, was endeavoring to convince Mrs. Maynard that it was absolutely essential to the girl's protection that he be allowed to continue his investigation with her assistance. The mother had finally given her consent.  ielding, as she believed, to the lesser of two evils.
Highway, not eavesdropped at the short telephone conversation; perhaps, later developments might have been different had he done so. 