"We must leave a light burning," decided Betty, "and a note near it explaining why we came in and that we are asleep upstairs. Then they will know."
That was decided on as the best plan, and it was carried out. The girls went to bed, but it was some time before they got to sleep, though finally the steady fall of rain wooed them to slumber. No one entered during the night, and the morning came, still retaining the rain.
"Will it ever clear?" asked Mollie, hopelessly.
"The wind is changing," spoke Betty. "I think we can soon start."
"But can we go away and leave the house alone?" asked Amy. "Ought we not to stay until the owners come back?"
"How can we tell when they will come back?" demanded Grace. "Besides, I must let my sister know why we were detained."
"I suppose we will have to go on," said Betty. "If the persons living here didn't care about deserting their place we ought not to."
"But what will they think when they come in and see that someone has been here?" asked Mollie.
"We must leave a note explaining, and also some money for the food we took," decided Betty. "Or we can stop at the next house and tell how it was."
They debated these two plans for some time, finally deciding on part of both. That is, they would leave a note and a sum of money that they figured would pay for what they had eaten. They made no deduction for closing the windows against the rain. They would also stop at the nearest house and explain matters to the residents there, asking them to communicate with the occupants of the deserted house.