"I'd never touch a thing she offered," said Betty. "I would be afraid it wouldn't be—clean."
"She always seems to leer at one so," went on Mollie.
"Oh, you're making out a terrible case against the old woman," Grace put in, carefully selecting a chocolate from her supply.
"Well, she is very persistent," observed Betty. "And now let's forget all about her, and the—well, I won't mention them, but you know what I mean," and she smiled at her chums. Indeed Betty was beginning to think she had been just a little indiscreet in speaking aloud of the precious stones.
"We'll just have a good outing, as we used to," she went on.
"Like the time when we found the five-hundred-dollar bill," suggested Amy.
"Or when the girl fell out of the tree," added Mollie.
"Gracious! Those were tragic times enough!" broke in Grace.
"But we enjoyed them—after they were over," added Betty. "And I think we shall enjoy finding—well, finding what we did find, after Allen straightens it out for us."
"Oh, is he going to straighten it out for us?" asked Mollie.