[From the winter-caretaker's day-book kept by Oscar Vilbrand, Aldenhaven, 1921 volume. Reproduced: the week of 14 August through 20 August 1921. Each day's entry divided into: (a) OFFICIAL (what the caretaker logs in the book the cottage owner may inspect) and (b) PRIVATE (Vilbrand's own observations in his own handwriting below, for his own record).]

Week of 14 August 1921 — Hume cottage (No. 7 Aldenhaven).

Sunday, 14 August.

OFFICIAL. Hume cottage: closed for cistern repairs. Mr. and Mrs. Hume departed by motor for Port Hume 8:10 a.m. Arrangement for plumber's arrival on Mon. 15. No guests.

PRIVATE. Mrs. H. departed with Mrs. P. (Penn, housekeeper) as said. Mr. H. did NOT depart. Motor was driven back from the station by Winslow (coachman) at 9:40 a.m. Mr. H. remained in the cottage. Lights in the library visible from the road at 10 p.m.

Monday, 15 August.

OFFICIAL. Hume cottage: plumber arrived 10 a.m., departed 4 p.m. Minor work on cistern completed. Cottage to remain closed pending further owner instruction.

PRIVATE. No plumber arrived. I waited from 9:30 to 11; no motor came. I was to accept the plumber, per Mrs. Penn's note of the 13th. At 2 p.m. a hired carriage, cab-style, drawn by one horse, driven by a man I did not recognize, delivered a single gentleman to the Hume cottage. Gentleman did not give a name to the driver in my hearing. Gentleman was medium-tall, approximately 42 years old, dark hair, dark suit, dark hat (unusual in August), carried one small valise. He walked to the front door; Mr. H. opened the door from the inside. They went in. Carriage departed.

I record the gentleman's description here because no guests had been announced, and because the announced plumber did not arrive. I will not speculate.

Tuesday, 16 August.

OFFICIAL. Hume cottage: no activity reported.

PRIVATE. Lights in the library and in the east bedroom through the night. Both Mr. H. and the unnamed gentleman evidently in residence. At 11 a.m. a market basket was delivered to the rear of the cottage by Mrs. Quint (Aldenhaven general store) containing what I observed to be unusually substantial provisions — including two bottles of a Canadian whisky of which Mrs. Quint would not, ordinarily, have had stock. I did not ask Mrs. Quint about the whisky. Mrs. Quint did not comment.

Wednesday, 17 August.

OFFICIAL. Hume cottage: quiet.

PRIVATE. Mr. H. and the gentleman walked together on the beach below the bluff at approximately 6 a.m., before the other cottages had risen. They walked for forty minutes, speaking. I observed from the clifftop path while I was checking the Reddick cottage's storm shutters (the Reddicks being at the Philadelphia house this year). At 10 a.m. they returned to the cottage and remained indoors the remainder of the day. A second delivery from Mrs. Quint's at 2 p.m.

Thursday, 18 August.

OFFICIAL. Hume cottage: no activity.

PRIVATE. Same hired carriage as Monday afternoon arrived at 6 a.m. The unnamed gentleman departed with his single valise. Mr. H. saw him off at the front door; they did not shake hands; Mr. H. nodded; the gentleman nodded; the gentleman entered the carriage; it departed. Mr. H. went back inside.

At 10 a.m. Mrs. H.'s motor returned with Mrs. H. and Mrs. P. aboard, ostensibly from Port Hume. Mrs. H. did not remark on the state of the cottage. The "cistern work" had not been performed but no one inquired. Mrs. H. went to her bedroom to unpack.

Friday, 19 August.

OFFICIAL. Hume cottage: Mr. and Mrs. Hume returned from Port Hume on the 18th. Cistern work completed satisfactorily. Cottage in ordinary summer use.

PRIVATE. Mrs. H. at breakfast on the porch at 8:30, reading correspondence. Mr. H. working in the library. Mr. Reddick's letter of the 17th arrived in the morning post — I did not handle the post personally, per custom, but I observed Mr. H. receive a single letter from Mrs. P. at about 10 a.m. and retire with it to the library. The letter bore, on the back flap, the seal of Reddick & Son.

[Bottom of the week's pages, in Vilbrand's own pencil, very small:]

"I record what I see. I do not record what I do not see. I have, this week, seen a gentleman of approximately forty-two years' appearance of whom I have no introduction and no name. I have seen Mr. H. in his company for four days in a cottage that was officially closed. I have seen two deliveries of Canadian whisky from Mrs. Quint's. I have seen no plumber. I have written all of this here and nowhere else. The Humes pay me $380 per year to be their caretaker. I do not pretend I am only their caretaker for $380 per year. — O.V., 20 Aug 1921."