“We must go,” assured the leader. “It is not ten o’clock, I hope?”
“No, and we’ll run you over in our car—if the car will run. Mr. Manton is out tinkering with it. That’s how he missed the excitement,” Ted explained.
Nora hung back with Lucia. She felt she had found her after so much anxiety, she was almost afraid the child would be spirited away if she should lose sight of her now.
“How nice!” said Vita, and the relief in her own voice proved that the big woman had been suffering no little anxiety, herself.
“I go home now, Vita,” said Lucia, humbly. “I’m sorry, Vita.”
“Oh, you don’t have to go home, Lucia,” Nora hurried to interrupt. “You can stay right here. You don’t want to go hide in the dark any more, do you Lucia?”
“But I don’t want to make the trouble.”
“She is so good when the fit is gone,” said Vita, affectionately. “Poor Lucia, she can no help it.”
“Of course, she can’t. I’ll tell you, Vita, we’ll ask Cousin Ted and I’m sure she’ll let us fix Lucia up in that nice attic bed. Would you like that, Lucia?” enthused Nora.
“She love the attic,” said Vita. “She come every time, and I must hide her. But I no like to make the bother——”