“Any news?” asked Florence, eagerly.
“Just the question I was going to ask you,” returned Marjorie, laughingly.
“Yes, we have some news,” put in Alice. “Doris and Roger are home, and stopped in to see us.”
“Doris and Roger? When did they come back? And why didn’t they stay a while?”
“Oh, they only got back yesterday,” said Marie Louise; “and they have a lot to do.”
“Doris was rather keen about helping with the tea-room until we told her about last night,” said Florence, laughingly. “Then she made some excuse about being awfully busy with the house—”
“And Roger encouraged her,” added Alice. “He didn’t seem to like the idea a bit of having his little wife in danger.”
“Can’t blame him for that!” muttered John, sympathetically.
“Marjorie,” said Lily, very seriously, “I have a suggestion to make. We’ve been talking it over here before you got back, and Marie Louise and Doris and Florence all approved—that it would be best to close the tea-house before anything else happens. I know dad doesn’t care a thing about his loan; so we could just keep all the money we made and give it to Daisy for the baby. I think we’d have enough, and there wouldn’t be any danger of any of us following Anna.”
“No! No!” cried Marjorie. “I couldn’t give up now, Lil! Your father’s awfully generous, I know, and would be willing to give us the money; but I couldn’t accept it. And I feel as if we just have to solve this mystery!”