For a moment it seemed as if the girl were about to consent. A surprised, dimpling smile lit her face for an instant, and she replied, "Oh, thanks! Since you are so—"
At this moment the door of the room adjoining hers opened and a waiter came out, bearing in his hands a tray of used dishes, and passed directly between them, down the corridor. He glanced neither to the right nor left, and disappeared in a moment down the turning at the end of the hall. Patricia realized with a tiny qualm of dislike that it was the waiter of her own table. But his passing had broken the spell of the new acquaintance.
"I thank you—but—but this evening I must stay in the room," the girl resumed, inexplicably contradicting what she had plainly intended to say at first. The bright smile was gone. Her face had again assumed the clouded, sullen expression. Patricia was thoroughly puzzled.
"Well, that's too bad!" was all she could find to reply. "Same here, or perhaps I could run over to you. Are you staying here long?"
"I think so. I am not sure how long."
"Oh, well, then we'll have plenty of time to get acquainted. Goodnight!" Patricia ended pleasantly, as she closed her door.
But sitting alone and nibbling her sandwiches later, she found herself vexed with many puzzling surmises. Who was this strange, interesting, appealing foreign girl? What was her relation to the beautiful woman she called 'Mme. Vanderpoel'? Why had she appeared to assent to the invitation so gladly, and suddenly retracted after the passing of the man, Peter Stoger?
"I like her, though," thought Patricia confusedly, "And yet I can't for the life of me tell why. I can't make her out. I don't believe what she said about looking for that woman to come back. I think that was only an excuse. I firmly believe she was watching me. But why? There's something queer about the whole thing. But, no matter what happens, I'm going to make a desperate effort to get better acquainted with her. I believe we're going to be friends."
CHAPTER III
THE SHADOW ON THE WALL
In spite of her resolution to get better acquainted with her mysterious neighbor, however, Patricia made no further progress in that direction for several days. These were spent in a round of sight-seeing with her father through the big, busy, manufacturing city in which they were staying, at present so absorbed in its war work and munition making. After that came a series of delightful trolley-trips through distant and picturesque parts of the surrounding country. And when she was at leisure at all, Patricia spent not a little time with Mrs. Quale, finding a real delight in her quaint, sunny, comfortable company. During their wanderings, it chanced that she and her father took few meals at the hotel. And thus it fell out that she saw nothing, or almost nothing, of the curious couple that had so interested her on the first night. Once, indeed, she did have a brief glimpse of them at breakfast, but the older woman only acknowledged her presence by a friendly little nod. The girl never so much as turned her head or looked in Patricia's direction.