"If it wasn"t for me this family would have no manners," she scolded. "Now, I don"t like Ruth Gladys Royal a bit better than you do, Louise; but I hope I know what is the right thing to do."
Mrs. Littell, who was hopelessly unfashionable as far as conventions that were merely polite went, announced serenely that she was going to her sewing circle and that if the girls chose they might go calling. Her engagement stood.
"Mother thinks Ruth Royal is sn.o.bbish," commented Bobby, as her mother serenely departed for the little sewing circle of the country church in which she maintained a keen interest and which she virtually supported. "As far as that goes, I think she is. But Louise told her we"d come and call on her, and I think a promise ought to be kept."
"Well, I"ll go with you if Betty will," said Louise. "I don"t see why you pick out a perfectly lovely afternoon to martyr us all in, but if it must be done, let"s get it over with. Esther and Libbie have wheedled dad into taking them to the movies, and I suppose we can go in the car with them."
The three ascended the stairs to put on their best bibs and tuckers and came down again to find Mr. Littell and the other two girls joyously arranged on the back seat, with Carter having hard work to keep from smiling at their jokes and quips.
"How elegant we look," jeered Mr. Littell, whose injured foot was still stiff but who began to talk about returning to his office. "I don"t suppose you could be persuaded to go to see "The Rose-Pink Curtains" with us, and have a sundae afterward?"
Bobby shook her head sternly.
"Don"t tempt us when we"re having a hard time to do our duty," she admonished. "We have to go to see Ruth Royal; honestly we do. But we"ll meet you for the sundae; won"t we, girls?"
It was arranged that they should meet at quarter to five, and then the three callers were set down before the ornate hotel entrance.
Just off the lobby was a pretty, richly furnished parlor where they decided to wait while they were being announced.
"Let"s hope she isn"t in," suggested the irrepressible Louise. "Then we"d still have time to see "The Rose-Pink Curtains.""
Betty sat nearest the door and from her seat she could see a section of the lobby and one of the elevators. The boy who had taken their names came back in a few minutes with the information that Miss Royal and her aunt were out.
"The clerk says they left word at the desk that they expect to be back about half-past seven to-night."
"All right, that excuses us," declared Bobby cheerfully, hardly waiting till the boy had left the room. "Come on, girls, we"ll go to the movies. Betty, for mercy"s sake, what are you staring at?"
Betty had risen and was peering through the velvet portieres. She turned and put a finger to her lips, then drew Bobby close to her.
"Look out there in the corridor, over by the desk," she whispered.
"See that man who is shouting at the clerk?"
"I hear him," admitted Bobby, s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up her eyes and peeping through the curtains. "What do you suppose he is arguing about?"
"That," announced Betty, unintentionally dramatic, "is Joseph Peabody!"
The girls had heard about Joseph Peabody, a little from Betty, and more from Bob, who had spoken freely to their father. They knew about his miserly nature and they were acquainted with the fact that he believed Bob had stolen something that did not belong to him. The real story of the unrecorded deed both Bob and Betty had told only to Mr. Littell. It was characteristic of Bobby"s loyal nature that her first thought should be for Betty.
"You don"t suppose he is down here after you, do you?" she whispered, clutching Betty by the elbow in a sudden panic. "Oh, Betty, suppose he wanted to drag you back to Bramble Farm?"
Betty had to laugh, in spite of the anxiety she was feeling.
"He has no authority over me," she explained. "Besides, he would have no earthly use for me if my board wasn"t paid in advance." Her face clouded involuntarily as the thought of her missing uncle thus came to her mind. "No," she went on, "I"m terribly afraid that he is here looking for Bob. You know he threatened to have him arrested that time Bob managed to escape him. I wonder if I can"t get to a "phone booth without being seen and telephone to Bob or Mr. Derby."
Louise rather impatiently pushed her sister aside that she might take a peep at the unconscious Mr. Peabody. As she put her eye to the crack between the curtains she uttered a little shriek that she tried to stifle with her hand.
"Betty!" she cried so shrilly that those in the lobby must have heard her if the harsh call of a siren outside had not sounded opportunely. "Betty, here comes Bob!"
Sure enough, in through the revolving door, neatly dressed and looking every inch the intelligent young junior clerk, came Bob Henderson, his eyes glued to a letter he had taken from his pocket.
Betty would have given even her hope of a letter from Oklahoma to have been able to call a warning. Instead, she had to stand helplessly by and watch the lad walk directly to the desk, where he put a question to the clerk. Instantly Joseph Peabody whirled and had the boy by the collar.
"Got you at last, you young imp!" he chortled gleefully. "This time I don"t calculate to let go of you till I land you where you"re going --behind the bars. That is, unless you hand over what you"ve got of mine!"
Several people turned to stare curiously, and Betty sympathized acutely with the crimson-faced Bob, who was protesting hotly that he had nothing belonging to Peabody.
"You stay here," she ordered Louise and Bobby. "There"s no need of you mixing in this. I"m going to see if I can help Bob."
She sped across the hall to the desk, followed by her two faithful shadows, who were determined to stand loyally by.
"Well, I swan, if it isn"t Betty!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the farmer when he caught sight of her.
CHAPTER XXIV
BOB IS CLEARED
"Betty, you stay out of this," commanded Bob sternly. "If there"s going to be a scene, two actors will be a-plenty. You go away and take the girls with you."
The clerk who had been regarding them curiously over his ledger now took a hand.
"If this argument is likely to be prolonged," he suggested sarcastically, "I"d advise you either to go up to your room, Mr.
Peabody, or into that card room there. That"s deserted in the day time."
"Yes, come on in here," said Betty, anxious to get away from the gaze of the other guests. She led the way into the card room which opened off the lobby and was preferable to making a public journey in the elevator. "Close the door, Louise."
Mr. Peabody kept his hold on Bob"s collar and from time to time he shook him vigorously, whether with the idea of shaking the stubbornness out of him or merely to indicate that he held the whip hand, Betty was undecided.
"You can let go of Bob," she said heatedly, as soon as they were in the room with the door shut. "He isn"t going to run away."
"I"ll see that he doesn"t," was the grim reply. "You hand over that deed, young man, or I"ll call a policeman in two minutes."
"I tell you I haven"t got it!" protested Bob desperately. "I never saw the thing. What would I be doing with a paper of yours? I haven"t got it, and that"s all there is to it."
"Of course he hasn"t!" For the life of her Betty could not keep still, though perhaps caution dictated that she hold her tongue. "I know he hasn"t that deed, Mr. Peabody. And having him arrested won"t give you what he hasn"t got."
"How do you know he hasn"t got it?" demanded the farmer. "Deeds don"t walk off and hide themselves, young lady. Bob happens to know why I want that deed. And if he doesn"t produce it, and that mighty quick, he"ll find himself where they can shake the truth out of him with no fooling."
Bobby sprang to her feet from the leather chair where she had curled up to listen to the proceedings.
"I"ll telephone my father," she cried. "He"ll help Bob to sue you for false arrest. If you have some one arrested and it is found he didn"t do what you said he did, he can sue you for damages. I"ve heard my father say so. Don"t you care, Bob, Daddy will find a way to beat this horrid old man."
An unpleasant smile spread over the mean, shriveled face.
"Is that so?" queried Joseph Peabody. "Well, I don"t know who you are, Miss, but you need a lesson on how to keep a civil tongue in your head. All the fine friends Mister Bob has picked up in Washington won"t stand by him long when they find out he"s a poorhouse rat and a runaway at that. There"ll be some explaining for you to do before the almshouse authorities are satisfied, young man."
Betty"s anger flamed as the familiar odious phrase fell from the farmer"s lips, and added to her anger was the crystallized fear that had been haunting her for weeks. She did not know whether Bob could really be returned to the poor-house or whether it was another trick of Peabody"s, but she feared the worst and dreaded it.