“No-o-o,” cried Nancy. “Never, never, never!”
“Why not tell Edward Paxton?”
“Why not?” answered the other, and pressing close together, the frightened girls hurried back to the house as fast as their shaking knees could carry them.
It was gloomy enough in the great dark hall with only one candle sputtering in a bracket on the wall, and they were not reassured when on opening the door they found the living room empty.
“Where on earth are they?” exclaimed Nancy.
“Perhaps they couldn’t stand it in here either, and have gone out doors. Let’s look for them on the piazzas.”
Hand in hand they hastened from the house, looking back fearfully at their fantastic shadows dancing on the walls.
“Thank heavens, I hear them,” said Nancy, pulling Billie toward the low sound of voices at the end of one of the side galleries.
“Don’t you say anything, Nancy. Leave me to manage it. You will be certain to frighten Cousin Helen.”
“Why, there you are,” called Miss Campbell herself, as the two girls approached. “Somebody started a false alarm that the sound of a motor had been heard and we came out hoping it was Edward. I was beginning to get uneasy for fear you had wandered too far.”