However, it only turned out to be Rose Dyer, looking unusually flushed and excited, who kissed Betty rather tremulously and then sat down as though she were out of breath. “I was afraid I would be late,” was her explanation.
An instant later there was another ring at the bell and on this second occasion Miss McMurtry and Herr Crippen entered together.
Betty considered that Miss McMurtry looked a little bit agitated, but not remarkably so, just enough if she were really about to announce her engagement. But Herr Crippen, unhappy man, was this the way that love affected the emotional German temperament? His face, which was ordinarily pale enough, was to-day like chalk, his red hair was moist upon his high forehead and his big hands cold as he shook hands with his hostess.
Then the little company arranged themselves in chairs before the glowing fire and remained perfectly silent. Why on earth didn’t some one speak? It was her own home, and Betty felt that upon herself devolved the duties of a hostess and yet so plainly in the present instance did it seem to be her place to say nothing until her older guests offered some explanation for their presence.
“Where is Esther?” Miss McMurtry finally asked, and feeling grateful at having something to do which permitted even an instant’s escape from the frozen stillness of the room, Betty jumped up, announcing hurriedly:
“I will get her myself; Esther isn’t feeling very well or she would have been down before. She is upstairs in her own room.”
Then before she could get away there was an unmistakable sound of some one approaching and the next moment Esther Clark joined her friends.
She had washed her face and smoothed her hair, but there were still plain traces of recent tears about her and yet no one of the company appeared surprised.
When Betty had taken her place before the fire again Esther sat down on a stool near her and, not seeming to care in the least about the near presence of other people, took one of Betty’s hands in hers as though she were clinging to it for encouragement and support.
“Will you please tell the whole story as slowly and as clearly as you can, Herr Crippen?” Esther then asked. “Miss McMurtry and Miss Dyer both understand about it in a measure, but it will be an entire surprise to Miss Ashton.”