"You can depend upon it," returned Hamish profoundly, "he has his reasons."
Aunt Cal opened the door. "Dinner's ready," she said.
Hattie May and Hamish got up. "Keep your eye on the place as much as you can," Hamish said in a whisper. "I'll be round as soon as it gets dark."
"You mean you're going to watch the house all night?" Eve asked.
"Sure. But don't say anything to your aunt yet. Not until tomorrow anyway. Promise?"
"We-ll, all right," Eve agreed reluctantly. "We promise."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I HAD looked forward to a swim that afternoon but Hamish's request that we keep an eye on the house next door forced us reluctantly to abandon the plan. Hamish might be a bit theatrical at times but there was no denying the fact that the Captain had a strange visitor and that, for whatever reason, he had appeared most unwilling to make us acquainted with the gentleman. So there did seem some sense in the idea that we keep our eyes peeled for what went on in our neighbor's domain.
But as the long afternoon wore away, it seemed evident that nothing at all was going on. The smoke had long since died away from the chimney and, though the back door still remained fast closed, there was no sign of activity within.
I had been, I will confess, a little surprised that Eve had given Hamish her promise to say nothing to Aunt Cal about the mysterious guest next door. For Eve, though she could never be called in the least goody goody, has nevertheless rather strict ideas about honor and all that. She knew that the police were searching for Bangs and yet she was keeping silent.
"Eve," I said at last. She had given up the pretense of sewing and was lying in the fragrant shadow of the syringa bush, her eyes on the drifting foamy clouds. "Eve, why did you agree not to tell Aunt Cal?"
"Why," she frowned a little, "I only agreed to keep it dark till tomorrow."
"But why did you agree at all?" I insisted. "It wasn't because of that buried treasure stuff--because he might lead us to that?"
"Then what was it?" I demanded caught by something evasive in her tone. "What was the reason?"
"Oh, well, I suppose I might as well tell you! You heard what Hamish said, didn't you, about Bangs--that his real name might be something else?"