"Yes, sir! that's just what they did," she said, looking ahead. "Wasn't that cute in grandma?")
"Well," the letter proceeded, "having put him on a wrong trail if the thing were ever inquired into, we went out on the platform and waited for the west-bound train. There were a lot of people waiting who called themselves 'Saints' and had been off for some camp-meeting. That made it easier for us to lose ourselves. The train came along in a little while and we got on, intimating to the conductor that we hadn't time to procure tickets, and paying our fare to South Haven."
("Look here," said Harcourt, "this thing is catching. If she keeps on there'll be another one in Miss Brannigan's class!")
"We are now comfortably established at a boarding house called The Oakland, where they have a queer little dining-room in the basement and the best brown bread you ever put in your mouth. We think we shall settle down here for several weeks. I don't like the idea of going back to Missouri just now for that man would be sure to follow us there. (There are some objections to being named Pennybacker instead of Smith.) I want you to come on immediately." Then followed a page or more of minute directions as to route, bills, etc.
"I don't know whether I'll have money enough for all that," said Bess, wrinkling her brow for the first time in her life over the financial problem.
"I'll lend it to you if you haven't."
"How could I get it back to you?"
"That's so!... I guess I'll have to go down with you and collect it myself."
"Really?" cried Bess.
"Sure! Your grandmother left you in my care and I'm not going to prove recreant to a trust at this late day. Besides, I've got three more weeks to put in somewhere before I can go back to Washington. I guess South Haven will do as well as anywhere else. Don't you want me to go?"