The Mystery of the Emeralds

called for silence.
    “Great day in the morning!” she exclaimed. “Every time I come into this house, I find you all in an uproar. Edgar, will you be so kind as to explain what this child is trying to tell me?”
    Trixie laughed good-humoredly, for she had caught the twinkle in Miss Bates’s eye and knew that this tirade was just a matter of habit.
    “First let me introduce Mr. and Mrs. Lynch,” Edgar Carver said, “Di’s parents. Miss Bates is my old and dear friend.”
    “I do declare!” Carolyn Bates said, sweeping over to take Mrs. Lynch’s hand. “I thought you looked familiar. We met briefly at one of the meetings in Williamsburg, didn’t we?”
    “We did indeed,” Mrs. Lynch replied warmly. “How nice to see you again!”
    Miss Bates plumped down on the sofa, and Trixie held her breath as she heard the springs squeak menacingly at the unaccustomed weight.
    “Come, come, Edgar,” Miss Bates said. “No more stalling. What was Trixie trying to say about the necklace?”
    “So much has happened since you were here yesterday, I scarcely know where to begin,” he replied. “Yes, Trixie found the emeralds, and here they are.” He handed the box to Miss Bates, its cover opened to show the jewels nestled in the black velvet. She took a long look at them and started to speak, but for once words failed her.
    “Aren’t they beautiful?” Trixie exclaimed, breaking the silence.
    “They’re more than beautiful,” Miss Bates finally said. “They are exquisite, and about as useful as a pink elephant! What do you propose to do with them, Edgar?”
    Everyone in the room was completely taken aback at this reaction to Trixie’s discovery—everyone, that is, except Edgar Carver, who looked as if her question pleased him.
    “Dear Carolyn,” he said affectionately, “I knew I could count on your practical good sense. I intend to sell the necklace and—” He paused, as though not quite sure how his old friend would accept the rest of his plan.
    “Yes, yes, go on,” she urged him.
    “And, if it’s not too late, I’m going to see if they can patch up my back so I can walk again.”
    “At last!” Miss Carolyn cried. “At last the man is coming to his senses!” She turned to Mr. and Mrs. Lynch. “For years we who have been closest to Edgar have been trying to get him to do this, but he’s been as stubborn as—” She glanced at Mr. Carver and, leaving the sentence hanging in midair, got up and walked over to him. Taking his hands in hers, she went on softly. “But all that doesn’t matter now. The important thing is that you’re finally able to have the operation—and, Trixie, the credit is all yours!”
    “Oh, I don’t want any credit, Miss Bates,” Trixie said. “It’s enough to know that the necklace will do him some good. Besides, I couldn’t have done a thing without the other Bob-Whites.”
    Mr. Lynch had been watching this scene with much interest, and now he interrupted it by saying, with a glance at his watch, that, much as he hated to leave, he had to return to the motel in the village
    in time for his appointment with Neil.
    “We never did get to tell you that I have bought Rosewood Hall,” he said, addressing Miss Bates, “and I certainly hope you will help me with its reconstruction when the time comes.”
    “I heard rumors that you’d purchased it,” she replied with a smile. “News spreads fast around here, and I’m glad it’s true. Just think, Rosewood Hall and Green Trees can be the Twin Houses again.” She sighed. “I’ll do everything I can to help. I love them both!”
    As the group broke up, Honey suggested that the Bob-Whites go over to the Rosewood stables and check on the horses.
    “Jenkins may not have left them any water or feed,” she said. “I can’t sleep tonight without being sure they’re all right.”
    “That’s a good idea,” Mr. Carver said, “and I’d like to make another suggestion. I’d like all of you to come back tomorrow evening for a little farewell party. I’ll get Alex, and I’d like to have Neil, too. It’s high time he and I met, if we’re going to be neighbors.”
    Everyone eagerly accepted his gracious invitation, at the same time offering to help with the arrangements for the party.
    “Suppose you leave them to Mrs. Lynch and me,” Miss Bates said. “Men don’t know about such things. Do you agree?” she asked, turning expectantly to Di’s mother. *
    “I agree to help in whatever way I can—”