“Only a blanket.” Mrs. Deline closed the lid firmly. “I thought I might need it if I should sit on the damp ground.”
Hungry as bears, Penny and Louise did not try to curb their healthy, young appetites. Mrs. Deline, on the other hand, scarcely nibbled at the food. Several times she arose and paced nervously to the window.
“It’s growing dark and I should return to the hotel,” she said the instant the girls had finished eating. “I’ll not bother to repack the lunch basket.”
“Oh, we’ll help you pick up everything,” Penny offered.
“Please don’t bother. I’ll merely pay the hotel for the basket.”
Penny was convinced that Mrs. Deline deliberately intended to leave the hamper behind. Despite the deep inroads she and Louise had made, considerable food remained. It occurred to her that the widow hoped to leave what remained so that the person hiding in the woods might come to the cabin for it after the party had gone.
“I can’t be bothered with a heavy basket,” Mrs. Deline said impatiently. “We’ll just leave it on the table.”
“Oh, the rangers wouldn’t like to have us leave food here,” Penny protested. “It will only take a minute to clean up everything.”
Disregarding Mrs. Deline’s order, she began to repack the remains of the lunch.
“But I don’t wish to carry the basket all the way to the hotel!”