“And we don’t hope for nor really want any more,” remarked Agnes. “Though if you could see your way clear to letting us have a new car, of course we’d——”
“There you go again!” chuckled the guardian. “Isn’t that a perfectly good car you have now?”
“Oh, it’s good enough, if you mean it that way,” sighed Agnes. “But if you could see the look, sometimes, on Nally Hastings’ face when she gets in it!”
“Oh, ho! Sets the wind in that quarter?” exclaimed Mr. Howbridge, using one of his favorite expressions. “And don’t tell me I should say ‘sit,’ either!” he hastened to remark, thus forestalling an objection on the part of Ruth, who held that the old adage should be “sits the wind,” and not “sets.” However, this time she was too anxious over the matter of Hop Wong and the mystery with which he was connected to “start anything,” as Neale would have said.
“Well, you go home and be good girls—No, I won’t say that for you’re always good,” joked Mr. Howbridge. “But I’ll see about letting you have a new car. I’m going over some of your accounts now, and if I find the balance on the right side——”
“If you don’t, perhaps we can get Hop Wong’s money,” laughed Agnes.
“Don’t count your chickens until you hear them coming over the bridge, as Uncle Rufus would say,” remarked Ruth. “Well, Mr. Howbridge, we’ll leave it to you,” and she and Agnes went back to the Corner House.
“Has Hop Wong been around again?” asked Ruth of Mrs. MacCall.
“Not a glint of him, and small pleasure do I have at a sight of the yellow-faced heathen!” exclaimed the Scotch housekeeper.
“Oh, well, don’t be too harsh on him,” laughed Agnes. “He may be the means of our getting a new car. We certainly need one,” and she looked toward the old one which Neale was bringing out of the garage, for they were to take a ride that afternoon.