When she reached home she met a special delivery messenger at the door. Her heart jumped; it was a note from Billy, who had risked sending her a message that might very easily have fallen under her foster-father’s eye. She thrust it into her pocket unopened and ran upstairs.
“Well, you’re back again, are you?” Farley said harshly.
“Yes, papa; I had an errand I couldn’t put off.”
“It’s always been a mystery to me,” he grumbled, “what women find to trot downtown for so much.”
“Pins!” she replied lightly. “We always need little things. I met Mrs. Copeland—looking for pins, too; so you see I’m not the only one.”
“You saw her, did you?” he asked with a show of eagerness.
“Yes; I met her as I was coming out of Sterling’s. She was just starting home.”
“I’d been hoping she’d stop in to see me, but she’s a busy woman.”
“She has a lot to do, of course. If you’d like to see her I’ll telephone her to come in for luncheon to-morrow.”
He appeared to be pondering this and his hands opened and shut several times before he answered.