To her great surprise, when at last the film was used up and she had it developed, she was told that the first two pictures had turned out as blanks. Carl Langer showed her the blanks as proof positive.
Yet, to Norma this was not absolute proof. “For,” she told herself, “those were very ordinary snapshots. The other pictures were taken under the same circumstances, nothing had been done to the camera, and yet they came out very well.”
Her curiosity was aroused. After two days had elapsed, she again left her camera lying about. Once again it vanished. In two days it was back. This time she had left number four showing. Hastily using up the film, she hurried to the studio and had the film developed.
“Some of your pictures are quite wonderful,” Carl Langer commented. “but the first three—”
“I know. They are blank.” Norma thought this, but didn’t say it. She was wrong. The first three were quite black. Very much overexposed. They showed nothing.
“Perhaps,” said Langer, “you were a bit careless putting in that film. It looks light-struck at the beginning.”
She had not been careless. The film was not light-struck, yet she said never a word. She would get to the bottom of this yet.
The next day Norma forgot her photographic problems for at last a visit to Black Knob was on the calendar. Norma had made two more visits to the spotter shed at Granite Point. With ever-increasing interest she had watched the talking hands from the island and had listened to weird and interesting tales told of the great rock called Black Knob by those fascinating twins, Beth and Bess.
At first it was planned that only Norma and Betty should accompany Lieutenant Warren on the trip to Black Knob but at the last moment Lena asked permission to go.
Perhaps Miss Warren knew some things about this tall, strong girl that Norma had never learned. Certain it is that, had it been left to her, she would have said, “No, let’s not take her.”