"Gone!" the others cried together.
"But they couldn't have gone far," Mrs. Irving added.
"Probably they have motored back to the crossroads to wait for us," Allen suggested. "When they saw the blockade they knew there was just one thing to do and they did it."
"Well, they might at least have told us where they were going," Frank grumbled. "They should have known Mrs. Irving would be worried."
"They probably thought they'd decamp before the mud got so bad," said Betty. "Just the same, they should have told us."
"You are right," Mrs. Irving agreed. "However, the only thing to do now is to follow them as quickly as possible."
For answer, Frank threw in the clutch, and the big machine very slowly and painfully plowed its way through the clinging mud of the road and turned its face toward the crossroads and, in all probability, Mollie's runaway car.
"No wonder they want to repair the road," said Frank when they were well under way. "If the rest of it is any worse than this I should think they would need a new one."
"There's Mollie's car, straight ahead," said Grace a moment later. "I wager they are just sitting there as large as life, laughing at us."
"Let them laugh," said Frank savagely. "It's good to see somebody happy."