“Oh, Mrs. Becker,” she said, anxiously, “have you heard anything from the hospital yet?”
“The hospital,” repeated Mrs. Becker, looking puzzled; “why should I hear from a hospital?”
“Why, about Fräulein, of course,” gasped Gretel. “You said they had taken her to the hospital for an operation.”
“Oh, Anna, you mean,” said Mrs. Becker, her dull face lighting with comprehension. “Rudolph told me to say Anna was in a hospital, but it was not true. She is in New Jersey, governess to two little boys. She left nearly two weeks ago, just before my husband and I moved here.”
“But—but why did you send for me, then?” questioned the astonished Gretel. “I thought it was because Fräulein was ill and wanted to see me.”
“My husband sent for you,” said Mrs. Becker, slowly, “because Anna had told us you were a good German. He thought you might be of use to him, but he made a mistake, and so he is very angry.”
CHAPTER XII
LOST
They were having a merry evening at the Chesters’. Stephen Cranston and Jimmy Fairfax had come to dinner, and later, Ada Godfrey and her friends, including the objectionable Archie, had strolled over, in response to a telephone message from hospitable Molly. They had sat on the piazza for a while, the girls comparing notes about last evening’s dance, the boys discussing the latest German air raid, and then Stephen—who was generally the chief mover in every party—had suggested impromptu charades.
“We won’t have to dress up, or anything like that,” he exclaimed. “We’ll just divide, and one side will act out a word, while the other side guesses it.”