“I wish you would,” said Ruth. “And I’ll also speak to Mr. Howbridge about it.”
“If you girls are nervous,” said Luke, speaking particularly for the benefit of Ruth, “I can leave Neale and come over to stay here to-night.”
“What? With me on the job? Boy, you are insulting!” cried Hal, in mock heroics. “Why, I’ll defy any twain of alleged water inspectors that ever misread a meter!”
“Oh, we’re not a bit afraid,” said Ruth.
“We have Uncle Rufus and Linda, to say nothing of Mrs. MacCall,” added Agnes.
“Well, you can always get Neale and me on the telephone,” suggested Luke, with a laugh.
“And by the time you got over here we’d be kidnaped!” declared Agnes. “No, we’ll depend on Uncle Rufus.”
However, there was no need for any dependence, for nothing untoward happened that night.
For the next evening a little affair had been planned, to which some guests Nalbro Hastings had not yet met were invited. Ruth and Agnes were busy arranging the details of this, and planning with Mrs. MacCall what the refreshments should be, when Tess came in looking somewhat warm and excited.
“What have you been doing, dear?” asked Ruth, smoothing her hair.