AN EMBARRASSING MOMENT
"OH, it is good to be back," declared Bab, as they entered the broad, cheerful hall of the Stuart mansion. "I don't feel as though I ever wanted to leave the house again."
"I like it here just as well as you do," answered Mollie. "But I shouldn't like to feel that I had to stay inside the house always."
Ruth had made good time on the return, now and then "shaving the paint from the sides of a street car," as Bab expressed it. Still, Ruth Stuart was not nearly as careless a driver as she appeared to be. She did take chances frequently, but the guiding hand at the wheel was sure and steady. She seldom used bad judgment. Her father had such confidence in her driving that he never interfered while riding with her. As for the three Kingsbridge girls, they were by this time so used to Ruth's driving that they declined to get nervous even when she had narrow escapes from collision.
"Girls, I am glad you have returned," greeted Miss Sallie, meeting them in the hallway as they entered. "You have callers."
"Pshaw!" muttered Ruth disgustedly. "Bab wants to lie down and rest. She is all upset. Can't we make our escape?"
"I am all right now," protested Barbara. "However, the company probably came to see Ruth instead of the rest of us."
"You are wrong," smiled Aunt Sallie.
"Who is it?" questioned Ruth.
"Cousin Richard, Cousin Jane and Tom Presby. You don't mind them."