And so they waited.
As the minutes passed, each seemingly more slowly than the one that had gone before, the fright of the girls increased.
An hour passed and still Mrs. Sebastian had not returned.
Shirley was about to speak, when they heard the sounds of footsteps outside and the doorknob turned. The door opened and Mrs. Sebastian stepped in smiling.
“I had no idea I had been gone so long,” she exclaimed. “Why didn’t you call me? You have been as quiet as mice.”
Shirley and Mabel each drew a breath of great relief.
“Then you didn’t lock us in purposely?” asked Mabel.
“Lock you in? What do you mean?”
“The door was locked and we couldn’t get out. That’s why we were so quiet,” replied Shirley, laughing. “We thought you had locked us in.”
“The idea!” exclaimed Mrs. Sebastian. “The door locked?” She approached and examined it. Then she looked up with a smile. “Why, the catch is on,” she exclaimed, smiling. “And were you frightened?”