“What do you want?” she asked crossly. “Why do you awaken me at such an hour?”
“Don’t you remember us?” Penny said, stepping into the light. “We didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Startle me, fiddlesticks! I am merely annoyed at being awakened from a sound slumber.”
“I’m terribly sorry,” Penny apologized. “We wouldn’t bother you, but we saw someone with a lantern moving about in the yard. We were afraid a burglar might try to break into the house.”
Mrs. Marborough gazed carefully about the yard. “I see no light,” she said stiffly.
“It’s gone now,” Louise admitted. “As we came up from the river, we distinctly saw it near the old wishing well. Penny and I thought that whoever it was hid behind the bushes!”
“You both imagined you saw a light,” the old lady said with biting emphasis. “In any case, I am not afraid of prowlers. My doors have good bolts and I’ll be more than a match for anyone who tries to get inside. Thank you for your interest in my behalf, but really, I am able to look after myself.”
“I’m sorry,” Penny apologized meekly.
“There, your intentions were good,” Mrs. Marborough said in a more kindly tone. “Better go home now and forget it. Young girls shouldn’t be abroad at such a late hour.”
After the door had closed, Penny and Louise slowly retraced their way to the river’s edge.