“I imagine he did, for no one ever heard of him again.” As she spoke, Iris wiped the tears from her eyes and Azalea turned her head to hide her face. Doris felt a lump arising in her own throat as she considered the sorrowful end to the romance. She gazed thoughtfully toward the locked gates and a hush fell over the group. CHAPTER XII AN INTERLUDE Doris and Kitty thought that the Misses Gates had finished their story, but presently, after a long pause, Iris went on with difficulty: “After the funeral we closed the front gates and locked them. To this day they have never been opened.” “We could not bear to remain in Rumson after all that had happened,” Azalea said quietly. “We went to Europe—Iris to France and I to Germany. There we plunged into study in the hope that it would help us to forget. Finally, when the old wound was partially healed, we once more turned to each other and returned home.” “Then you both must be fluent linguists,” Doris broke in eagerly. “Yes,” Iris agreed rather indifferently. “I speak French and Azalea has an excellent command of German.” “Then perhaps you could help me! My singing teacher says I must study French and German this summer.” “I am sure it would be a pleasure,” Iris declared. “Yes, indeed,” Azalea added. “We have so little to occupy our time, and personally I shall be glad of an opportunity to brush up on my German.” “We have troubled you enough for one day with our unhappy history,” Iris said lightly. “Come, I will show you the rest of the garden.” Doris had hoped that the ladies would tell her why they had invited her to Locked Gates, but apparently they found it difficult to lead up to the subject. Three days slipped by almost before the girls were aware of it. Once they had accustomed themselves to the quiet life of the mansion, they found it very enjoyable. They spent their mornings romping in the garden with Wags and their afternoons reading or sewing. Azalea and Iris left them alone a great deal, no doubt thinking the girls would have a better time by themselves. However, Kitty and Doris observed that the Misses Gates spent an hour of each day on the third floor, and as the ladies always took their Bible with them, they assumed that they were reading it there. “Odd, isn’t it?” Kitty commented to her chum. “You would think they could read it in the living room as well as any other place.” “Perhaps they don’t like to do it when we are around,” Doris suggested. The girls did not mean to pry, but, suspecting that Cora and Henry Sully were aiding in a plot against the Misses Gates, they were more watchful than they otherwise might have been. On one occasion, as they passed through a hall, they chanced to hear the two engaged in conversation. “Don’t see why they keep hangin’ on here unless they’re wise to something,” Henry muttered to his wife.