“May I come in?” she asked, hearing Eleanor, as she supposed, moving about inside. Without waiting for an answer she walked straight in and came face to face with—not Eleanor, but Miss Harrison, champion Blunderbuss of 19—.
“Why, what are you doing here?” she asked, her voice sharp with amazement. “I beg your pardon,” she added laughingly, “but I thought of course it was Eleanor Watson. She came into the house just ahead of me.”
“She hasn’t been in here yet,” said the Blunderbuss. She had been standing when Betty first caught sight of her. Now she dropped hastily into a chair by the window. “I was sure she’d be back soon and I wanted to speak to her for a minute. But I guess I won’t wait any longer. I shall be late to dinner.”
“Why, no, you won’t,” said Betty quickly. “It isn’t anywhere near dinner-time yet.” She didn’t care about talking to the Blunderbuss while she waited for Eleanor, but she had a great curiosity to know what the girl could want with Eleanor. “And I don’t believe Eleanor will have any more idea than I have,” she thought.
But the Blunderbuss rose nervously. “Well, anyway, I can’t wait,” she said. “I guess it’s later than you think. Good-bye.”
Just at that minute, however, somebody came swiftly down the hall. It was Eleanor Watson, carrying a great bunch of pink roses.
“Oh, Betty dear,” she cried, not noticing the Blunderbuss, who had stepped behind a Japanese screen, “see what daddy sent me. Wasn’t it nice of him? Why, Miss Harrison, I didn’t see you.” Eleanor dropped her roses on a table and came forward, looking in perplexity first at Miss Harrison and then around the room. “Betty,” she went on quickly, “have you been hunting for something? I surely didn’t leave my bureau drawers open like this.”
Betty’s glance followed Eleanor’s to the two drawers in the chiffonier and one in the dressing table which were tilted wide open, their contents looked as if some one had stirred them up with a big spoon. She had been too much engrossed by her encounter with Miss Harrison to notice any such details before.
“No, of course I haven’t been hunting for anything,” she answered quickly. “I shouldn’t think of doing such a thing when you were away.”
“I shouldn’t have minded a bit.” Eleanor turned back to Miss Harrison. “Did you want to see me,” she asked, “or did you only come up with Betty?”