"When will that be?" asked Betty.
"In a day or so," he answered.
The door was opened by a neat, thin little old lady. Introductions over, the Elder left them.
"I'll take you right to your room, young ladies,—follow me."
The tone was kindly polite, but to Betty's sensitive ears, it sounded strangely business-like. They followed the old lady up three flights of stairs, and then into a square back room.
Betty watched her light the "welsbach," which was quite a curiosity to her.
"Put the gas out carefully when you go to bed," she said. "Sometimes it turns all the way round and the gas escapes," and with this admonition and a pleasant "goodnight," she was gone.
Dell and Betty looked around the room, and then at each other.
"It's stuffy, don't you think? Let's open the windows," said Dell.
"What is that for?" asked Betty curiously, looking at one corner of the room.