Noticing that Carlitos was not at the table, Peggy inquired of Miss Prudence about him.
“He went with José after the mail,” she replied.
No sooner had she finished her sentence than Carlitos burst into the room, his blue eyes round and dark in his excitement. With his Spanish words tumbling over each other in his haste he blurted out, “Ah, senoritas, your automobile—it is stolen. Terrible!”
Not being able to understand him, Miss Prudence and Peggy stared wonderingly. Jo Ann’s and Florence’s faces, however, flamed scarlet with embarrassment.
“The cat’s out of the bag now,” flashed through Jo Ann’s mind. “We’ll have to tell the whole tale.” She could feel Mr. Eldridge’s eyes boring into hers.
The next moment Miss Prudence ordered sternly, “Carlitos, speak English! Tell me what’s happened.”
In halting English Carlitos repeated that the girls’ car had been stolen.
“Stolen!” ejaculated Miss Prudence. “What next?” She turned to her brother. “Do you suppose that Luis could’ve stolen it?”
“No. The girls drove to the city after Luis was taken prisoner.”
By this time Jo Ann had recovered her wits sufficiently to say slowly, “The car was stolen when we were in the city.”