“Oh, but she’s a cousin of Belden House Annie’s,” explained Betty, “and I’m sure Annie would look after her. We all know that she’s as honest as the day herself, and all the other maids have been here for years and years.”
“It’s queer,” said Katherine, “if it was an outsider—a more or less professional thief, I mean—that he or she should come to this house twice, several weeks apart, and each time take so little. If it was a college girl now——”
“Oh, don’t, Katherine,” begged Betty. “I can’t bear to think that any Harding girl would do such a thing. I’d ten times rather never know who it was than to find it was that way.”
Just then the B’s appeared airily attired in kimonos concealed under rain-coats, and laden with a huge pan of marshmallow fudge, which they had made, they explained, in honor of Roberta’s successful début.
“What are you all looking so solemn about?” demanded Bob, when Babbie had gone in search of Roberta.
Betty told her, and Babe and Bob exchanged glances.
“It’s not necessarily any one in this house who’s responsible, I guess,” said Babe. “Babbie’s lost a valuable pin too, and Geraldine Burdett has lost a ring. Oh, about two weeks ago Gerry’s was taken, and Babbie’s before that. They’ve been keeping dark and trying to get up a clue, but they can’t. They’ll be all off when they hear about these other robberies.”
“There was one awfully queer thing about Babbie’s thief,” put in Bob. “Her little gold-linked purse was on the chiffonier right beside her pin and it wasn’t touched, though it was just stuffed with bills. That makes them afraid it was some girl who’s awfully fond of jewelry and can’t afford any.”
“It isn’t right to leave our lovely things around so, is it?” said Betty seriously. “It’s just putting temptation in the way of poor girls.”
“Exactly,” agreed Madeline. “We go off for hours, never locking up anything, leaving our money and other valuables in plain sight, and if we do miss anything we can’t be sure it’s stolen and we don’t have time to investigate for weeks after. It’s a positive invitation to dishonesty.”