“I know you told me,” Barbara repeated, “but what good does that do? Miss Davis is almost sick in bed over it, and nobody, but you and me, knew where it was hid. Now who took it?”
“I can’t tell you yet. But I will soon,” the boy promised. This time he showed some feeling. He was plainly sorry not to be able to oblige this particularly good friend, by telling her how the boat model had disappeared.
“Soon?” exclaimed Cara, who could no longer keep quiet. “Don’t you see, Nicky, that Barbara is really worried to death about that model?”
“But I promised. I got to keep a promise, ain’t I, Cap?”
“Well, that depends on what sort of promise it was. If it was a foolish one——” the captain began.
“It wasn’t. I got five dollars for it,” declared the youngster, joyfully.
“You got five dollars for it! Five dollars for hiding somebody’s—crime!” gasped Babs. “Oh, Nicky! How could you?”
“’Twasn’t either a crime. It’s all right. You just have to wait, that’s all. Today’s Wednesday and you’ll know Friday. What’s the matter with that?” Nicky wanted to know.
“You don’t seem to understand,” pleaded Barbara, almost in despair. “I just have to know tonight. I promised Miss Davis I’d surely tell her tonight. Nicky, I’ll give you five dollars to give back to whoever bought your promise. You shouldn’t have taken money for a thing like that,” she insisted.
“Why shouldn’t I? We had to move, didn’t we?” A boy is so literal he can never see why girls are sentimental.