is as
much as we can expect. Are you and Bessie going for a walk, Dolly?"

"We thought we would, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind, of course. But don't go very far. Stay near enough so
that you can hear if we call, or for us to hear you if you should happen
to call to us."

Dolly looked startled.

"Why should we want to call you?" she asked.

"No reason that I can think of now, Dolly. But--well, I suppose I'm
nervous. The way they tried to get hold of Bessie and Zara at Canton
to-day makes me feel that we've got to be very careful. And there is no
use taking unnecessary chances."

"All right," said Dolly, with a laugh. "But I guess we're safe enough
to-night, anyhow. They haven't had time to find out yet how Bessie
fooled them. My, but they'll be mad when they do find out what
happened!"

"They certainly will," laughed Margery. "I wouldn't want to be in Jake
Hoover's shoes."

"I hope nothing will happen to him," said Eleanor, anxiously. "It would
be a great pity for him to get into trouble now."

"I think he deserves to get into some sort of trouble," said Dolly,
stoutly. "He's made enough for other people."

"That's true enough, Dolly. But it wouldn't do us any good if he got
into trouble now, you know."

"No, but it might do him some good--the brute! You haven't seen him when
he was cutting up, the way I have, Miss Eleanor."

"No, and I'm glad I didn't. But you say it might do him some good.
That's just what I think it would not do. He has just made up his mind
to be better, and suppose he sees that, as a reward, he gets himself
into trouble. What is he likely to do, do you think?"

"That's so," said Margery. "You're going off without thinking again,
Dolly, as usual. He'd cut loose altogether, and think there wasn't any
sort of use in being decent."

"Well, I haven't much faith in his having reformed," said Dolly. "It may
be that he has, but it seems too good to be true to me. I bet you'll
find that he'll be on their side, after all, and that he'll just spend
his time thinking up some excuse for having put them on the wrong track
to-day."

"I think that's likely to keep him pretty busy, Dolly," said Eleanor,
dryly. "And that's one reason I really am inclined to believe that he'll
change sides, and go to Charlie Jamieson, as Bessie advised him to do."

"Well, if he does, it won't be because he's sorry, but because he's
afraid," said Dolly. "If he can be of any use to us, why, I hope he's
all ri