The girls looked forward to the hike in the snow as a diversion that would rest their tired nerves and help them to see more clearly on their return.
CHAPTER XVI
HERMIT'S HUT
The next morning the girls found Bet with a tired, worried frown on her face. "Girls, I just can't go!" she said.
"Bet dear, don't give up the hike. You're brooding too much over the lost fan. Come on!" pleaded Shirley.
"Yes, Bet dear, don't back out! It will do you worlds of good!" And Kit put both arms about her tenderly. "You're making yourself sick with all this worry!"
"No. I almost feel as if I were leaving something undone!"
"But I've often noticed that when you go at something else, the thing you are worrying about completely clears up. Come on, get your hat and coat." Joy added her persuasion. "You've been worrying too much to think straight, otherwise you'd have solved the problem long ago or found a clue."
Bet finally gave in, but not quite willingly. School would begin on Monday and after that the girls would not have so much time to work on the problem. Bet wondered how she could ever put her mind on algebra and history when the mystery of the lost fan still hung over her.