“I declare for’t, Mr. Haley!” exclaimed Aunt ’Mira, coming to the door to meet him. “Janice? If she ain’t jest gone! Didn’t you meet her? I declare for’t! She gits about in that ortermobile as lively as a water-witch. Marty, he’s gone fishin’, so Janice said she’d run over an’ take Miss ’Rill and her mother out for a run. She’ll be back ’long about five. Won’t you stop, Mr. Haley?”
But the disappointed school teacher refused her polite offer, and Aunt ’Mira went back to the wonderful gown she was making with a sigh of relief. Haley returned to Mrs. Beasely’s cottage. As he passed Hopewell Drugg’s store he heard the storekeeper’s violin and saw the flutter of a white dress on the side porch between the store and the dwelling.
“Why, there’s Miss ’Rill now!” he thought, in some surprise. “Can it be possible that Janice is with her?”
But he saw no sign of the car anywhere about, and was quite sure that Janice would not have lent it to anybody. Nelson walked across the street for a nearer view of Drugg’s vine-enshrouded porch. Hopewell was sawing away at the gay little tune he now played so much, “Jingle Bells.” Miss ’Rill and he were alone.
Nelson felt almost a physical pang at the discovery. Surely Aunt ’Mira could not have been mistaken as to what Janice had told her. Nor could the girl have already taken out the Scattergoods and returned.
Suspicion took hold upon the young man’s mind, and it was all the keener as jealousy tinged it. Almost in spite of himself he began to walk toward High Street. The Scattergoods lived just around the corner, having half of a double cottage, with a pretty flower-garden in front and a bit of lawn.
He came in sight of this and there was old lady Scattergood, in her sunbonnet and garden gloves, working in the flower-bed. Surely she had not been automobiling, nor did she expect to go this afternoon.
Nelson stopped, hesitated, then turned on his heel with the sudden stiffening all through his body that proclaimed indignation. It looked as though Janice had not told her aunt the truth. He would never have suspected the girl of speaking a falsehood! He strode down the hill toward the hotel. He was determined to find out if Frank Bowman was there.
CHAPTER XV
A GRIST OF SMALL HAPPENINGS
Unconscious that Fate was putting her in a very unhappy position with Nelson, Janice was experiencing a number of small adventures on this Saturday afternoon.