"You would not have had to do that in any case, but my car is ready whenever you care to return."
"The ride will be a lovely ending to the day," Miss Sterling a.s.sured him, "and, if it won"t hinder you, suppose we don"t go any sooner on my account."
Four o"clock found the picnickers leaving the wood, the injured one a.s.sisted on either side by Polly and Nelson Randolph.
The way was not long, but time after time it took all the pluck of which Juanita Sterling was mistress not to stop in the path and cry out that she could not go a step farther.
Her escorts were solicitous.
"Lean on me more, Miss Nita," Polly would urge. "I"m awfully strong. Favor your foot all you can."
"Hadn"t I better carry you the rest of the way?" asked Mr. Randolph when she could no longer hide her pain.
Her thanks were gracefully given, but she refused to proceed except upon her own feet.
"It is nothing," she insisted. "I shall be all right in a moment."
Never did hospitable inn look more inviting to a weary traveler than did the waiting car to Juanita Sterling.
"You sit in front," advised Polly, "it will be much easier for you."
"Certainly!" the man exclaimed, throwing open the other door.
But before Polly could stay her she had stepped to the running-board--and was on the back seat!
"You are naughty!" Polly pouted.
Miss Sterling laughed softly.
The man said nothing, only helped Mrs. Adlerfeld to a place beside him.
The cooling, sunlit air was delightful. It was long since Miss Sterling had been in an automobile, and the car rode as easy as a rocking-chair. She drew deep breaths, and half forgot that her ankle was still throbbing from its recent effort.
"Feel equal to a little longer ride?" suddenly inquired the driver, throwing the query toward Miss Sterling.
"Equal to anything!" was the happy reply.
"Oh, that will be nice!" cried Polly, squeezing her friend"s arm, and beaming on her right-hand neighbor.
"Am I going too fast for you?" was the next question.
"Not a bit!"--"It is lovely!"--"The faster the better!" came in merry succession from the back seat.
They spun along the smooth road with greater speed, and the freshness of the country was brought to them in one steady sweep.
"This is glorious!" breathed Miss Sterling.
"I never rode in one of these cars before," confessed Mrs.
Adlerfeld blithely.
"Indeed!" a pleasant light flashed in the driver"s eyes. "And how do you like it?"
"Oh, I like it very!" The wrinkled face was radiant. "It makes me so glad and happy!"
"We will have another ride some day," was the unexpected response, which made the little Swedish woman fairly gasp in delight.
The gayety of the party came to a sudden end when Mr. Randolph drove into the Home grounds.
"Please, not a word to anybody about my fall," said Miss Sterling in a low voice, as she was helped from the car.
"Is that wise?" It was asked in a surprised tone.
"Extremely wise," was the smiling response. "I might wish to go picnicking again, you know." Her twinkling eyes met his puzzled face.
"As you will," he promised gravely.
There was time for no more. The others were waiting.
Polly kept beside Miss Sterling who walked without a limp and gave no sign of the torture she was undergoing.
"Go right upstairs!" whispered Polly. "I"ll report for all of you when I come down."
"You needn"t go up, the rail will be sufficient."
But Polly would not relinquish her charge until she saw her safe in her room.
"How came you to be riding with the president of the Home?" Miss Sniffen looked down sternly on Polly.
"Oh! did you see us come? Wasn"t it lucky--nice that Mr. Randolph had his car? And wasn"t he good to bring us?"
"Was the meeting by arrangement?" questioned Miss Sniffen severely.
"Oh, no! I was so surprised! We all were! He happened to go over there to see about some trees, and so stayed to luncheon. We had a lovely time! Wasn"t it queer it happened to be his land?"
Miss Sniffen"s thin lips drew themselves into a sarcastic line.
""Happened!" There seems to have been a number of _happenings_."
"I know it," Polly agreed demurely, looking at her watch to make sure of the time. "We came in about five minutes ago, Miss Sniffen. It was twenty minutes of six just before we got here."
"What time did you leave the picnic grounds?"
"I think it was four o"clock."
"Did you come directly back?" Miss Sniffen"s hard eyes fastened on Polly"s face.
"Oh, no! We had a beautiful ride! We went way out on the Flaxton road, along by the river. Don"t you think Mr. Randolph is a very lovable man?"