“Sara always seemed sincere and honest to me,” Penny said, slapping furiously at a buzzing mosquito. “Until we have definite proof otherwise, I want to trust her.”
“Even if it means staying here all night?”
“Well, my trusting nature has a limit,” Penny admitted. “But surely our parents will come to rescue us before long.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Louise returned gloomily. “Bill was in a bad mood when he left here.”
The girls fell into a deep silence. They huddled together to keep warm, and slapped constantly at the insects. For a time it grew steadily darker, then a few stars brightened the patches of sky which could be seen through the treetops.
“Imagine explaining all this to Mother,” Louise murmured once. “Why, it doesn’t even make sense to me.”
The noises of the forest began to annoy the girls. Overhead an owl hooted. Crickets chirped, and at frequent intervals a frog or a small animal would plop into the water.
“Listen, Lou!” Penny presently whispered. “I hear something coming!”
“Maybe it’s a bear,” Louise shivered.
“Silly! There aren’t any bears in this part of the country.”