CHAPTER X
Claire and Rosanna lingered after the meeting, talking with the Captain and Mrs. Horton, but presently Colonel Maslin came for them, and they said good-night and went away, Rosanna feeling as though she was doing something quite out of the way and rather dreadful in going off with another girl at that time of night. It must have been at least nine!
The two girls sat with the Colonel while he ate the lunch set before him by the Chinaman—a cracker and a glass of buttermilk it was—and then they said good-night and went laughing upstairs to Claire's sitting-room. In the pretty bed-room Rosanna found her clothes laid out neatly and the two took off their trim Scout uniforms and slipped into comfy kimonos.
Rosanna found that when Claire was not brooding, she was as gay and bright as any girl, and happiness transformed her face into a beautiful, glowing countenance that made Rosanna happy just to look at it.
"I wish you always felt like this," she said after a funny story of Claire's had sent her into gales of laughter.
"Like what?" demanded Claire quickly.
Rosanna was sorry that she had spoken. "Why, so jolly and merry," she said.
The cloud settled over Claire's face again.
"Perhaps I should not have said that, dear Claire," continued Rosanna gently, "but you don't know just how you do look a good deal of the time."