“This will break Belle’s heart,” she whispered.
CHAPTER XIX—BOUND OUT
Jessie thought that the very wealthy Mrs. Purdy Olliver was no different from Momsy or Mrs. Drew or Nell’s Aunt Freda. She was just polite and kind. Secretly the girls from Roselawn thought the lady was very different from Belle’s mother and Mrs. Moon. Perhaps that fact was one reason why the unpleasant Belle Ringold had spoken in some awe of the New York woman.
She had a really wonderful suite at the Hackle Island Hotel, for she had furnished it herself and came here every year, she told her young visitors. There was a lovely big bath room with both a tub and a Roman shower.
“Though, you can believe me,” said Amy, “I don’t have any idea that many of the old Romans had baths like this. It was ‘the great unwashed’ that supported Cæsar. ‘Roman bath’ is only a name.”
“Wrong! Not about Cæsar’s crowd, but about the Romans in general as bathers,” answered Jessie. “Read your Roman history, girl. Or if not that—and you won’t—some historical novels.”
“Humph!” sniffed Amy, but made no further reply.
The girls laughingly disrobed and tried the shower, while the maid dried their outer clothing, furnishing each of the guests with kimono or negligee. Then they came out into Mrs. Olliver’s living room and took tea with her.
They did not get their own clothes back until nearly six o’clock, and saw nothing of Belle and Sally when they came out of the hotel. Perhaps that was because they left by Mrs. Olliver’s private door and ran right down the steps to the beach where they had left the boat.
The kind woman had asked them to come and see her again, and was especially cordial when she knew that Jessie was the daughter of the Mrs. Norwood who had been chairman of the foundation fund committee of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital of New Melford.