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Show -63- CHAPTER IX Weeks went by and everyone at Gaven House had fallen into a routine. Not that the activity had ceased. A day did not go by that some new project was not in progress. Maddie and Tom had, indeed, proved invaluable. When Jim Standish left on one of his business trips, he had complete confidence that any chore he had Tom work on would be completed satisfactorily on his return. The house now looked the way it was during the time when the Gavens lived there, Maddie assured everyone. Perhaps not all the same colors, but the windows shone and the exterior glowed in itsnew coat of white paint. The bronze knockers on the two big front doors had been polished until they gleamed and the veranda boasted potted plants of every variety, while the wicker furniture added a bright touch. The stairs leading up to the fro.nt doors were scrubbed and spotless. Inside, the furnishings, draperies and curtains were now in perfect order. The chandeliers in the main rooms, as well as in the big foyer, had been laborously cleaned and their tiny lights glittered and shone. Athena Standish was an excellent mistress of the house. Her linens were now placed neatly in the closets and the old bathrooms radiated cleanliness. The two girls were busy with many activities. Vicky appeared to have put the ghost of Gaven House completely out of her mind. She rarely mentioned her to Penny. Yet, to the younger sister, a moment did not go by that she wasn't thinking of the girl who once lived in their home. Outwardly, it didnJt appear so, because she was afraid her family would object to her preoccupation with the ghost, but she constantly felt that she was trying to find the hidden pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Endeavoring to put the right piece into its proper place. Penny now knew that Dirk was engaging in illegal acts to obtain money for Claudine. All this was further confirmed by what the MacCarthys had |
