“How are we going to get anything moved, if you don’t do anything?” said Jess.
“Do anything!” exploded Margy. “Where’ve you been all this time? Here it is half-past four, and you talk about us doing something! Where have you been all this time?”
“Is it half-past four?” asked Jess. “Why, Dora was baking cookies and we stayed to watch her a little while. She said we could scrape the bowl, but we didn’t wait for that. We hurried back as fast as we could.”
Polly said nothing at all. Fred glanced at her uncertainly.
“What happened to you, Artie?” he said.
“Why, nothing,” Artie replied. “I went down to the store and got the rope; here it is.”
“Did it take you an hour?” asked Fred.
“An hour? I wasn’t gone an hour,” Artie protested. “All I did was to turn the emery wheel for Mr. Kelper a little while; but it wasn’t an hour.”
“Come on and let’s do the moving,” urged Ward. “What are you waiting for? It’s almost dark now.”
“It’s too dark to begin getting things down from the loft,” said Polly, quietly. “And, anyway, there’s no hurry; we can’t have a meeting till after Thanksgiving.”