“When anybody acts as queerly as Darry has lately, he deserves to be spied upon. After all, I guess we have as much right as he has to go to Gibbonsville if we want to,” she added, with a giggle.
Jessie was still rather doubtful, but the other girls finally overruled her objections. After all, it would be a good thing if they could find out something about that mysterious girl in whom Darry seemed to take so much interest.
When Burd and Fol returned from the boat-landing, reporting that they had seen Phrosy safely aboard, Nell drew Fol aside and engaged him in earnest conversation.
Jessie and Amy, watching with interest, saw him shake his head several times and thought the battle was lost. But after a while Nell approached them with a triumphant expression and announced that Fol had agreed to drive them down in the touring car any time they wanted to go.
“Better get started right away,” said Amy, light-heartedly. “Mr. Darry may find that he hasn’t a crowd of infants to deal with, after all.” They told Burd of their plans and asked him to go with them, but he refused with the frank admission that he was afraid of Darry.
“Huh, who’s afraid of him!” sniffed Amy, as she snapped to the door of the car. “Darry is all bark. He couldn’t bite if he tried.”
Some time later, as they were nearing Gibbonsville, Jessie began to feel unpleasantly nervous. She was forced to acknowledge to herself that she was actually afraid to find out what Darry’s mysterious business in this shabby little village might be. If she had dared, she would have begged Fol to take them back to Forest Lodge.
As they entered Gibbonsville Amy thought she caught a glimpse of Darry’s car going down a side street and called out to Fol to follow it.
“I am sure that was his roadster. First street to the left, Fol.”
When they reached the corner, Jessie saw, almost with a sensation of dismay, that Amy had been right. Directly ahead of them Darry’s car had been parked by the roadside and Darry himself was descending from it.