“See what, grandmother?” asked the girl. “There is nothing to see.”
“Indeed there is, child,” said Granny. “In times of trouble one must always see the Truth. Then the way is easy. After I see the Truth, I shall be able to tell what to do. Come and we shall soon find out. You see you belong to my family and my family is proud of the fact that its girls have all been ladies. So we must go to the keeper of the book and see what a lady can do in this case.”
On and on they went till they came to a queer little 34 old man standing before a big, big book. Granny went daintily up to him and said,
“Will you tell me if it is ever right for a young lady to ask a strange young man to take her to a dance, and pay out his money for her, when he has not even been to her home or met her mother? My grandchild says all the girls do it, so I suppose it must be a new thing that has been written in the book since I was a girl. I want her to be sure to be a lady, so before I help her to ask the boy to take her, I want you to look for the rule.”
The little old man began slowly to shake his head but he never said a word. He just looked and looked and looked. His finger went up one page and down another. Finally he looked straight at Bess and said to Granny,
“Your granddaughter is mistaken. That is not done by ladies. It is not here. It is not here.”
“Oh, you are old-fashioned just like my mother,” began Bess. “It may not be there but it is true just the same that all ladies do it nowadays.”
“Hush, child,” said Granny. “What is written there is true—but it is only half the truth even then. Let us go and see the rest. If it is right for you to ask him, then let us see the truth about the boy. Is he one that our family would like to have specially chosen for your friend? We must know about him.”
“Oh, Granny, he is all right. He doesn’t study much and he doesn’t do what mother believes is right on Sunday. But he has a car, and a motor boat, and he is all right. Let me ask him,” begged Bess.
“Tut, tut, child,” said Granny. “Perhaps you do not know. This is the House of Truth and we can tell.”