"Oh, I should be so glad!" she said, and there was no doubting her sincerity.
He had no more than time to flash her a grateful glance when Grace came up and put an end to the conversation.
Amid expressions of friendship on both sides and laughing farewells, the two cars slid backwards along the drive and out on to the road. Then with a purring of engines, the little racer leaped ahead with Mollie in close pursuit. They were off once more.
It was as Betty had said. The long clear night and the bright morning sunshine had done much toward drying the roads and though they were still rather sticky and slippery, the girls had no difficulty in keeping up a good rate of speed.
"This is something like," cried Grace, as she stretched both arms above her head and breathed deep of the balmy air. "I could be completely happy if it weren't for one thing."
Betty had no need to ask what that one thing was, and at mention of it her thought turned involuntarily to Allen. Was he safe or had he too—she shuddered at the thought.
"Wasn't it strange?" she said, seeking to change the conversation and the trend of her own thoughts at the same time, "that Joe Barnes proved to be Mrs. Barnes' son?" It was not at all what she had intended to say, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Grace turn and look at her curiously.
"No, I can't see that it's so very strange," Grace said dryly. "At least I have seen stranger things."
"Well, you know what I mean," retorted Betty, still absently. "He is awfully nice, isn't he?"
"That's what he seemed to think of you," returned Grace slyly.