She placed the bouquet on the small table near the window.
"There; I guess the flowers will not contaminate us. But when he
gave them to me - or, rather, sent them, there was a note in the
box," she added.

Both Hazel and Paul looked their question.

"Yes," replied Clip. "Would you like to hear the note?" She took
from her pocket a slip of paper. "It always strikes me as odd
that people who try hardest to do one thing, and mean another,
fail utterly to hide the intention. Now this gentleman, who
writes with such solicitation about Wren, says he really misses
seeing her, declares frankly that Jack Kimball and I were seen to
smuggle her off in Jack's auto, and then - But let me read the
finish. I am spoiling the effect:

"`Of course you have the child safe,'" she read, "`and no one
questions your ability to care for her. All the little
clandestine trips which you and your friend made to the Salvey
cottage happened to have been observed.' Just hear the boy!
Happened to have been observed, when I knew he was watching - saw
him on more than one occasion." She turned over the page of
business letter paper, and continued:

"`But the fact that I, her own cousin, am denied the privilege of
seeing her makes the thing look odd.'

"Now do you see what that means?" asked the girl. "He is trying
to make me feel that it would be better to produce Wren than to
keep her away from the lawyers, because it looks `odd.' Well,