Mr. Hammond pushed his way through them and held out his hand.
“The best you have ever done, Ruth Fielding!” he said. “You have convinced even the most skeptical. I can’t,” with a ring of true emotion in his voice, “ever thank you enough.”
“Your enthusiasm is all the thanks I want,” cried Ruth, eyes shining.
But when the author of the book himself found his way to Ruth and told her that he would not have a scene, a gesture, changed, it seemed to Ruth that her cup of happiness was full.
It was a long, long time before Tom could separate her from the group of her ardent admirers and say a word alone to her.
“It was great, Ruth,” he told her, with enthusiasm. “You’ve done what no other person in this room could do!”
“With your help, Tom,” the girl reminded him gently. “The picture would have been ruined, you know, if you—and Chess—had not recovered the stolen films.”
Her glance chanced to rest upon Chess and Helen. Under cover of the general excitement the two were holding hands like a couple of children. They were quite patently absorbed in each other.
Ruth laughed as a whimsical recollection crossed her mind.
“I thought Chess was going to the Yukon on business!” she said. “To me the business end of it seemed conspicuous by its absence!”