She wanted to be honest, she wanted to do right, but it would be a hard task. The more she thought it over, the more she was perplexed, and though her spirits were cheered by the pleasant ride, her troubles were as far as ever from a solution.
Down she went, down the beautiful Avenue, past the Sherman statue and the Plaza fountain. On, past the Library, down through the shopping district, and then Dolly concluded she would go on down to the Washington Arch, and stay in the same bus for the return trip.
But, before she realised it, she found the bus she was in had turned
East on Thirty-second Street, and was headed for the Railroad Station.
She started up, to get off the stage, but sat down again.
"What's the use?" she thought. "I can just as well go on to the station, and come back again. I only want the ride."
So she went on, and at the station, she was asked to take another stage. Down the stairs she climbed, and as she glanced at the great colonnade of the building she realised that from there trains went home! Home,—where mother was!
Unable to resist, Dolly obeyed an impulse to enter the station.
The warm, pleasant atmosphere of the arcade, soothed her nerves, and she walked along, thinking deeply.
She came to the stairs that led down to the waiting rooms, and a great wave of homesickness came over her.
She would go home! She had money with her, she would buy a ticket, and go straight to Berwick! She couldn't, she simply COULD NOT face Uncle Jeff and the girls, with her secret untold, and she would not tell it!
Anyway, she couldn't go back to the house where that horrid Fenn was!
That was certain.