Not a word said the twins.
"Which is which, Dora?" asked Mr. Lockwood, from the background, and perhaps enjoying his sister"s discomfiture. "I declare n.o.body in _this_ house has been able to tell them apart since they were in their crib.
Mrs. Betsey declares she believes they used to exchange ribbons when they were toddlers, for she used to find the bows tied in funny knots."
The two girls looked at each other with dancing eyes, but said nothing.
It had been their sport all their lives to mystify people about their several ident.i.ties. And here was a situation in which they determined--both of them--to keep their aunt guessing.
"This is no matter for flippancy," said Aunt Dora, sternly. "I intend to take my namesake home with me, and to bring her up, educate her, and finally share my fortune with her. Do you understand this fully?"
"Yes, ma"am," replied the twins.
"I am speaking to Dora," their aunt said tartly.
The girls were silent.
"I am separating Dora from her sister for her own good. As you girls grow older you will find that the income your father has remaining will barely support one girl in a proper manner. To divide his responsibility is a kindness to him----"
"That is not so," interjected the mild Mr. Lockwood. "You are more than welcome, girls, to all I have. And--possibly--I might look about and get a little more money for you to use, as time goes on. If you need it----"
"We know all about it, Papa," chimed the twins. "We are satisfied."
"Does that mean you are satisfied to remain here, Dora?" demanded their aunt, insisting upon speaking as though but one girl heard her.
"We are both satisfied," chorused the twins, quickly.
"But I am _not_ satisfied with the affair," declared Aunt Dora. "It has long been both my intention and desire to take my namesake--my G.o.dchild--away from here. While you two girls were small it was all very well to declare it cruel to separate you. But you are old enough now----"
"We shall never be old enough, Auntie, to wish to be separated," said one of the twins.
"Nonsense, child!" exclaimed Aunt Dora, her eyes sparkling as she thought she had at last obtained an inkling to the ident.i.ty of the two girls. "You will soon get over all that, Dora--of course you will."
"I am sure I should not so soon get over separation from my sister,"
said the other girl.
Her aunt wheeled on this one. "Do you mean to tell me that you scorn my offer?"
"If I were Dora I should beg to be excused," returned the niece to whom she had spoken.
Aunt Dora whirled again and transfixed the other with decided satisfaction and a sparkling eye.
"But Dora, I feel sure, will go with her aunt gladly," cried the lady.
"If I were Dora I should beg to be excused," repeated the girl at whom she looked, in exactly the same tone, and with an unmoved countenance, too.
"I declare!" gasped Aunt Dora, in complete exasperation. "You"ve managed to get me puzzled, now. Which--which of you is t"other?"
"That is for you to find out, Auntie," said both girls in unison.
"You saucy minxes!" began the lady, but one of the girls said, quickly:
"Oh, no. We don"t mean to be saucy. But we have agreed not to tell on the other. Father leaves it to us and to you, Auntie. Neither of us wish to leave our dear, dear home. Therefore we shall not tell you which is Dora, and which is Dorothy."
"That is quite true, Auntie," said the other twin.
"Well, I declare to Nature!" exclaimed their Aunt "Here I come offering Dora everything that a girl of her age should count as worthy--a home of wealth, a better education than she can get here in Centerport--college to follow--the open sesame into society--real society----And do you two girls mean to tell me that neither will say which is Dora?"
"That is exactly what we have agreed upon," said one of the twins, quietly.
"Then, let me tell you, Miss, I shall find out for myself!" exclaimed the angry lady. "I consider you at fault for this, Lemuel. Shows your bringing up. It is sheer impudence!"
"I--I have washed my hands of it, Dora," said her brother, weakly.
"Well, you can wipe "em, too!" snapped the lady. "But I mean to take Dora home with me when I go back--and that will be very soon," and she whisked away in her rustling skirts, leaving the father and his two daughters alone.
They twined around the little man in a moment, the two winsome, loving girls--one upon one side, the other upon the other.
"You don"t want to lose Dora, do you, dear?" demanded Dorothy.
"Nor Dorothy either?" demanded Dora.
"I certainly do not, my dear girls," cried the much hara.s.sed Mr.
Lockwood.
"Then we shall not tell her. We shall tell n.o.body. n.o.body shall know which is which--as long as Aunt Dora remains, that is sure," cried Dora.
"Exactly," agreed her sister. "As long as papa doesn"t wish us to go----?"
"Never!" declared Mr. Lockwood.
"Why, we"re never even going to get married!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the other twin.
"Of course not," said her sister. "There couldn"t possibly be two men just alike, and they"d have to be just alike to please us for husbands."
Mr. Lockwood laughed. It was the first happy sound he had made in two hours. His sister had arrived exactly two hours before.
"I know I can safely leave the whole affair to you girls," he said, gratefully. "Have it out with your auntie, if you must. But do, _do_ leave me in peace."
CHAPTER VII
HOW TO GET A NEW Sh.e.l.l
The Lockwood twins were members of the executive committee of the Girls"
Branch of Central High and that Sat.u.r.day an important meeting was to be held in one of the school offices. So Dora and Dorothy stole away after supper, with only a word to Mrs. Betsey as to their goal. They did not want any more words that night with their aunt, who had sat, like a graven image (providing a graven image has a very hearty appet.i.te) all through the evening meal in an att.i.tude of great offense.
The committee, whose actions had to be pa.s.sed upon by Mrs. Case, the physical instructor, and Franklin Sharp, princ.i.p.al of the school, numbered among its members Laura Belding and her chum, Josephine Morse; Nellie Agnew, Dr. Agnew"s daughter; Hester Grimes and Lily Pendleton, all soph.o.m.ores and in the cla.s.ses at Central High with the Lockwood twins. Hester Grimes, who was the daughter of a wealthy wholesale butcher, was not so well liked by the twins as some of the other soph.o.m.ores. Hester could be a very unpleasant person if she wished to be--and on occasions in the past (as related in the previous volume of this series) Hester had lived up to her unhappy reputation. Lily Pendleton, however, usually backed Miss Grimes up in everything the latter said or did.