“And it’s only quarter to ten,” Margaret added, holding up her wrist watch for the oldest girl to see.
Virginia laughed. “All right, we’ll stay until ten.”
Although Betsy did find the hole rather small, she succeeded in wedging her way through and the other girls listened to hear what she would say, but to their surprise they heard nothing.
“Betsy, can you see a house?” Babs called wishing that she was just a little smaller that she might follow her friend.
There was no reply. What could it mean? “Where can she be?” Margaret looked troubled. “She couldn’t have fallen into a hole or anything, could she?”
“It isn’t likely,” Virginia replied. “Sally, dear, would you mind just putting your head through and—”
But before the smallest girl had her courage put to the test, they heard someone running on hard ground; then the would-be detective pushed her way through the hole as though she were being pursued.
“What is it, Betsy? What kept you so long. Did you see anything?” were the questions hurled at her.
“I’ll say I did,” the flushed girl replied inelegantly. “I saw an old circling drive and I ran over to it, knowing that it must lead to the house, and it did! There in the middle of this wood, which I suppose was only a grove when the Burgess’ family lived here, there’s the most fascinating old house. It looks ever so interesting and haunted. I do wish that we had time to go closer and examine it. I always adore reading stories about haunted houses, but I never before saw one, really.”
“But there isn’t time,” Margaret announced once more referring to her popular timepiece. “It’s ten minutes past ten. We’ll have to fairly run to make it on time.” But Fate was again kind to them for a boy who delivered groceries at the school was just starting up the long grade of the hill road and seeing the girls trudging along, he asked them if they would like to ride.