Gretel was a little offended, but she remembered that the twins were only ten, and tried to make allowances.
“I did mean to go home,” she explained pleasantly, “but Miss Heath asked me to stay. She’s gone to a concert at Hampton with Percy, and your father and mother are going to a tea. It’s raining too hard to go out, so I thought we might play something in the house, or else read aloud. I’d love to read some more about ‘Dave Porter.’”
“Well, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you can’t stay,” said Geraldine, with decision. “We don’t want any company this afternoon, do we, Jerry?”
Jerry reddened, and looked very uncomfortable. As a rule, he was more polite than his sister, and he was, moreover, very fond of Gretel.
“Couldn’t we tell her about it?” he suggested rather timidly.
“Of course not,” returned Geraldine, indignantly. “You really are a dreadful silly, Jerry. Gretel’s all right, and we like her, but she can’t expect to be in all our secrets. Miss Heath is all right, too, but we don’t want her around except at lessons. She understands, and doesn’t get mad about it.”
“I’m not mad,” protested Gretel, reddening; “I don’t want to stay if you don’t want me. I’ll go home and read; I’ve got a very interesting book that Percy bought for me this morning.” And Gretel turned away, and ran quickly down-stairs, not wishing to let the twins see how really hurt she was.
“I wouldn’t have minded if they had asked me nicely to go home,” she said to herself, as she hurried back to the hotel through the wind and rain. “Geraldine is terribly rude sometimes. I think Mrs. Barlow might teach her children to be a little more polite.”
She found Higgins sewing by the window in her room. At the entrance of the little girl, the maid looked up with a smile.
“I’m glad you’ve come ’ome,” she said; “it’s a hawful hafternoon, and the storm’s getting worse hevery minute.”