Part 16 (2/2)
”But that can wait until to-morrow morning,” Neale declared. ”We can't do so this afternoon in any case. I happen to know he is out of town.
And we have promised Mr. Pinkney to take him on a hunt for Sammy.”
”All right. It is almost noon. You'd better go and wash your face, Neale,” and she began to giggle at him.
”Don't I know that? I came in here just to remind you to begin to prink before dinner or you'd never be ready.”
She was already halfway up the stairs and she leaned over the bal.u.s.trade to make a gamin's face at him.
”Just you tend to your own apple cart, Neale O'Neil!” she told him. ”I will be ready as soon as you are.”
At dinner, which was eaten in the middle of the day at this time of year at the old Corner House, Agnes appeared ready all but her hat for the car.
”Oh, Aggie! can we go too?” cried Dot. ”We want to ride in the automobile, don't we, Tess?”
”We maybe want to go riding,” confessed the other sister slowly. ”But I guess we can't, Dot. You forget that Margie and Holly Pease are coming over at three o'clock. They haven't seen the fretted silver bracelet.”
”That reminds me,” said Agnes firmly. ”You must not take that bracelet out of the house. Understand? Not at all.”
”Why, Aggie!” murmured Tess, while Dot grew quite red with indignation.
”If you wish to play with it indoors, all right,” Agnes said. ”Whose turn to have it, is it to-day?”
”Mine,” admitted Tess.
”Then I hold you responsible. Not out of the house. We have got to get Mr. Howbridge's advice about it, in any case.”
”Ruth didn't say we couldn't wear the bracelet out-of-doors,” declared Dot, pouting.
”I am in Ruth's place,” responded the older sister promptly. ”Now, remember! You might lose it anyway. And _then_ what would we do if the owner really comes for it?”
”But they won't!” cried Dot, confidently. ”Those Gypsy ladies gave it to us for keeps. I am sure.”
”You certainly would not wish to keep the bracelet if the person the Gypsies stole it from came here to get it?” said Agnes sternly.
”Oh--oo! No-o,” murmured Dot.
”Of course we would not, Sister,” Tess declared briskly. ”If we knew just where their camp is we would take it to them anyway. Of course we would, Dot!”
”Oh, of course,” agreed Dot, but very faintly.
”You children are so seldom observant,” went on Agnes in her most grown-up manner. ”You should have looked into that basket when you bought it of the Gypsies. Then you would have seen the bracelet before the women got away. You are almost _never_ observant.”
”Why, Aggie!” Tess exclaimed, rather hurt by the accusation of her older sister. ”That is what your Mr. Marks said when he came into our grade at school just before the end of term last June.”
Mr. Curtis G. Marks was the princ.i.p.al of the High School which Agnes attended.
”What was Mr. Marks doing over in your room, Tess?” Agnes asked curiously.
”Visiting. Our teacher asked him to 'take the cla.s.s.' You know, visiting teachers always _are_ so nosey,” added Tess with more frankness than good taste.
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