“What are you doing here, I’d like to know?”
“Please, ma’am, that’s a question I prefer to ask of you—and with a great deal more reason!” returned Ted. “Of all the nervy things I ever saw, it’s you prowling around the Danforths’ closed bungalow and sneaking out like a thief when you thought no one was around!” Leslie felt herself turn red and uncomfortable at the accusation, but Phyllis seemed in no wise daunted.
“I guess if I want to show the place to Leslie, there isn’t any particular harm in it. She’s been asking me what it looked like in there and how it differed from their house. You know perfectly well, the Danforths wouldn’t care a brass farthing!” This statement happened to be entirely true, for Leslie had questioned her only the day before as to the interior arrangements and expressed some curiosity to see it. She breathed a sigh of relief at the ease with which Phyllis seemed to be explaining a rather peculiar situation.
Ted, however, seemed only half convinced. “If that’s so, it’s mighty queer that you looked so guilty and caught-in-the-act-y when you came out and saw me! And for goodness sake, how long have you been in there, anyway? This Rags dog came running up the beach to us at least an hour ago. And I thought, of course, you girls were somewhere about. But when you didn’t appear after a while, I began to get worried, and Rags and I started off to find you. He led me straight here (good old chap!) and we’ve been sitting waiting at least fifteen minutes. Then he began to howl and gave the game away. Now please explain all this!”
“I’ll explain nothing further,” replied Phyllis, loftily, “and I’ll trouble you to tend to your own affairs in the future!” With which crushing rejoinder she marched away, dragging the unhappy Leslie after her.
“All right! Just you wait! I’ll dig out your little secret!” he called after them.
“And he will, too!” muttered Phyllis. “That is, if we don’t use the greatest caution. Isn’t it unfortunate that that wretched dog led him right here! However, I’ve settled him for the present, and now let’s think about other things.”
But it was not so easy for Leslie to forget the unpleasantness of the recent encounter and the implication that she had been caught trespassing. But Phyllis settled down to steady talk about their investigations and she presently forgot the impression.
“It’s mighty strange that in all our careful search we didn’t find a single thing that would indicate a recent visitor,” mused Phyllis.
“Didn’t you see anything—any least little thing?” questioned Leslie.