As the words penetrated Penny’s consciousness, she became instantly alert. She too sat up, listening. Someone was pounding on the front door.
“What shall we do?” Rosanna whispered in terror.
Penny sprang from bed and snapped on the light. “I’m going to dress and go down. It may be Caleb Eckert.”
“Or a ghost,” Rosanna chattered. “If you’re going down, so am I.”
With the appearance of a light in the bedroom, the clanging on the door increased in violence. Penny, who was dressing as rapidly as she could, began to grow irritated.
“Are they trying to break down the door?” she grumbled. “I should think whoever it is would know we’re hurrying.”
Without delaying to lace up her shoes, she ran down the stairs, Rosanna close at her elbow. Before snapping on the living room lights the girls peered out the window.
Slightly reassured by the appearance of the midnight visitors, they cautiously unbolted the front door.
Mrs. Everett Leeds and her daughter Alicia, swept into the room. Both were bedraggled and obviously out of sorts.
Mrs. Leeds shook the rain from her cape, flung her wet hat into the nearest chair, and then coldly surveyed the two girls.