"You should have heard Bet defending you to that dumb detective, Amos Longworth!" cried Joy.
Bet could laugh now as she recalled the conversation. Her relief was great, especially as Colonel Baxter had plead for Peter Gruff and he was to go free, on the promise that he would leave the village and never come back.
As the group left the shop, Bet caught Phil by the arm.
"Phil, I must talk to you alone."
"All right. Let the others go on," suggested the boy. "We'll walk slowly."
Colonel Baxter turned and saw his daughter and knew that she was making a clean breast of her suspicions against her friend. He smiled and spoke to the other girls. "Come on Kit, we'll take you home first. You're the nearest!"
When a short distance was between them, Bet suddenly caught Phil's arm. "Phil, I must tell you that, since Saturday when I found the fan, I thought you had taken it."
Phil stopped short. The color had left his face. "Bet! How could you!" There was a real hurt in his voice. "I thought you knew me better than that."
"I did, Phil. When I finally showed Dad the evidence against you I made him promise not to believe that you did it, even when things looked bad."
"But what was the evidence against me, Bet? I don't understand."