"I suppose so, but I don't know. Yes, I must go; Sophy will think I am lost. Good-by," and Miss Betty stepped briskly down the path.
The gate had hardly closed when Maurice heard some one calling him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his sister Katherine beckoning.
"Maurice, Maurice, do come here; I want you to see something."
Her tone impressed him as unduly mysterious. "What is it?" he asked indifferently.
"Come, and I'll show you."
"I sha'n't come till you tell me," he persisted.
"Oh, I think you might, because if I stop to tell you she may be gone."
"Who'll be gone? You might have told it twice over in this time."
"The girl I want you to see," explained Katherine, drawing nearer in desperation. "Did you know there was a girl next door?"
"Yes, of course." There was nothing in Maurice's tone to indicate how brief a time had passed since this information had been acquired.