seemed inclined to laugh at her, Bessie felt that she was right--that
Mr. Holmes, in some queer way, was intimately concerned in the web in
which she and Zara seemed to be caught.

She couldn't pretend to explain, even to herself, the manner in which he
might be affected, but of the main fact she was sure. She knew that her
memory had not deceived her; she had seen the man in Hedgeville. And the
fact that he had deliberately lied about that seemed to her good
evidence that he had something to conceal.

He knew Farmer Weeks. And in some fashion Farmer Weeks was intimately
bound up with the affairs of Zara and her father. Everything that had
happened since their flight from Hedgeville proved that beyond the
shadow of a doubt. He had run great risks to get Zara back; although he
was such a notorious miser, he had spent a good deal of money. And he
was mixed up with Brack.

Suddenly a thought came to Bessie. Zara's father! He must know. And if
he did, wasn't there a chance that he might be willing to talk to her,
if she could only manage to see him? He distrusted Charlie Jamieson
evidently, since he had refused to talk to him just when the lawyer had
been sure that he was going to get some facts that would throw light on
the mystery. But with Bessie he might well take a different stand. He
had seen her in the country; he knew that she was a friend of Zara.

"Miss Eleanor," said Bessie, quickly, "I've got an idea and I wish you
would let me talk to Mr. Jamieson about it. Will you, please--and by
myself? You're angry still at Zara and her father, and perhaps you'd
think I was all wrong."