The Gatehouse Mystery

again, will you believe me?"
    "I'll have to," Jim said reluctantly. "Nobody else except Nailor would dare risk being caught on this floor. And Nailor is above suspicion."
    "Are you sure of that, Jim?" Brian asked. "What I mean is, maybe Nailor isn't Nailor, but someone else masquerading as him."
    Mart howled with laughter. "No matter how you tried, you couldn't turn yourself into a giant peanut. Only age and too much work in the hot sun can do that."
    "Come on; let's go swimming," Trixie said. "We'll be late for lunch, anyway; but maybe we can jump in and out of the cold water and dress quickly enough so we won't get a bawling out."
    "You girls go ahead," Jim said. "We haven't any too much time. We'll just hurry and wash up a bit." Honey and Trixie raced down to the boathouse, dived into the lake, and climbed right back up again. Then they hurried into the house to change.
    "I hope your mother doesn't mind our dripping all over her carpets," Trixie said.
    Honey giggled. "We're not dripping. It's so hot, I'm almost dry already. And hotter than ever from hurrying." She started into Jim's old room, then stopped, pointing. "Oh, Trixie, look! There it is on the bureau. My jewelry box. You were right. It was Dick!"
    Trixie stared. "Oh, nothing makes sense anymore," she moaned. "If Dick swiped it while we were out riding, he couldn't possibly have had time to examine it thoroughly and put it back in the house. He's been as busy as anything ever since he arrived this morning." They quickly changed into the coolest outfits they could find and dashed downstairs just as Miss Trask was going into the dining room.
    "My, you girls look hot!" she said, smiling. "I really think you look hotter than I feel. It was simply broiling in the village this morning. Are you sure you all want to go to the movies this evening?"
    Honey smiled. "The Cameo is air-conditioned."
    "In that case," Miss Trask said emphatically, "I'll go with you. We'll all pile into the station wagon. Dick has done a lot of driving today, and the heat hasn't helped his poison-ivy rash any. It would do him good to stay quietly in the suite over the garage and watch the wrestling matches with Regan."
    Jim sighed. "I guess I won't get a driving lesson. Not until the heat wave breaks."
    "Oh, no," Miss Trask said as she served the ice-cold shrimp salad. "Dick doesn't want to postpone that, Jim. I tried to persuade him to let it go for another day, but he said he'd be all ready for you in the Ford around five. That reminds me," she went on, turning to Honey. "We should go to the early show. Otherwise, you children won't be in bed until midnight. That means we'd better have a light supper at six thirty, so we can leave at seven fifteen."
    "It would be nice if we could," Honey said. "Will Celia and the cook object?"
    "Oh, I don't think so," Miss Trask said. "They're both worn out. This hot, humid weather is exhausting. I'm sure they'd be delighted to retire to their air-conditioned rooms on the third floor."
    "I'd like to retire there right now," Mart said with a chuckle. "How come the third floor has air-conditioning, but the rest of the house hasn't? Not that it's any of my business."
    Miss Trask smiled at him. "Another simple explanation, Mart. The nearer the roof you get, the hotter it is. The whole house is insulated, of course, but we found that during July and August the rooms on the third floor were too hot for comfort. So Mr. Wheeler had them air-conditioned."
    "I think I'll resign as farmer," Mart said, grinning, "and take on the job of chef. Home was never like the cook's quarters here."
    Miss Trask looked puzzled, and Honey quickly explained about the clubhouse and how they all wanted to earn the money so they could make the necessary repairs.
    "This," Miss Trask said, "is the nicest thing that ever happened to me. If you boys take over the lawns and the vegetable garden, I know Nailor will never leave us." She sighed. "He complained so much about the heat this morning while he was mowing that I had to give him the rest of the weekend off. He left with Helen and won't be back until Monday morning, although his work isn't half-finished." She turned to Honey. "And as for you, my dear, isn't it wonderful that you're going to have a chance to earn some money? I know how you've envied Trixie her job."
    Honey smiled happily. "I've been green with envy ever since I've known her. And to think, Miss Trask, I'm to get fifty cents an hour from Mr. Belden just for mending.