Aunt Hetty dropped them off in front of the high school and was about to drive away when Danny Dunn came racing out of the stage door.
“Wait a minute!” he yelled, tearing over to the car and waving a piece of paper in the air. “We opened it,” he panted, handing Aunt Hetty the telegram. “It’s to you and all of us, but we couldn’t wait. Where’s that brilliant girl!” He gave Peggy a tremendous pat on the back. “We listened to you—and we nearly had heart failure when he pinned you down. There wasn’t time to call you at the studio, but—”
“I suppose I owe you an apology,” Aunt Hetty interrupted, handing the telegram to Peggy, “but I still think you were taking a terrible chance. Terrible,” she repeated, but her eyes were twinkling.
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“Oh, thank goodness!” Peggy cried. She could have almost wept with relief, but Danny’s excitement affected them all, and instead of tears there were hugs and handshakes and Danny pulling Peggy back to the theater to display “the most intelligent girl who ever graced a stock company!”
“Intelligent!” Peggy laughed. “Oh, Danny, just lucky!”
“Mental telepathy,” Danny insisted, “and that takes intelligence!”
“Have everybody come to my house after rehearsal,” Aunt Hetty called. “We’ll celebrate the good news. That’s a nice girl,” she remarked to Chris, who was still standing by the car. “Even if she is a little hasty. Not that you wouldn’t have said the same thing.”
Startled, Chris stared at Aunt Hetty, who gave him an understanding smile. Even in a whisper, it seemed, there was very little that Aunt Hetty missed.