Walter Crocker climbed up on the step and made a careful examination of the interior of the automobile. Penny and Susan stood watching him with perfectly innocent faces. They knew that he would not find the letters.
The man did not like to give up.
"They may have been pushed up forward out of sight," he said. "Do you have a flashlight?"
"I'll get one from the garage," Penny offered.
She and Susan went into the building, lingering there while they enjoyed a good laugh at the expense of Walter Crocker.
They were just ready to return with the flashlight when Penny suddenly placed a restraining hand on Susan's arm.
"Wait!" she whispered.
Unaware that the girls were in the garage, Mrs. Masterbrook came hurrying from the cottage. She went directly toward Walter Crocker, her face convulsed with anger.
"Why did you come here?" she demanded. "You should have known better!"
"I had to come," retorted the man in an undertone. He cast an anxious glance toward the garage. "Now get away from here unless you want to give everything away!"