of her getting into that burglar-proof
garage with her eyes shut--or do sleep-walkers have their eyes
shut?--and actually cranking up my racer!"

Aggie looked at me and I looked at Aggie.

"Of course," Jasper went on, "there being no muffler on it, the racket
wakened her as well as the neighborhood. And then the way we chased
her!"

"Poor old dear!" said Bettina again. "I'm going in to make her some
tea."

"I think," said Jasper, "that I need a bit of tea too. If you will put
out the porch lights I'll come up and have some."

But Aggie and I said nothing. We knew Tish never walked in her sleep.
She had meant to try out Jasper's racing-car at dawn, forgetting that
racers have no mufflers, and she had been, as one may say, hoist with
her own petard--although I do not know what a petard is and have never
been able to find out.

We drank our tea, but Tish refused to have any or to reply to our
knocks, preserving a sulky silence. Also she had locked Aggie out and
I was compelled to let her sleep in my room.

I was almost asleep when Aggie spoke:--

"Did you think there was anything queer about the way that Jasper boy
said good-night to Bettina?" she asked drowsily.

"I didn't hear him say good-night."

"That was it. He didn't. I think"--she yawned--"I think he kissed her."

II

Tish was down early to breakfast that morning and her manner forbade any
mention of the night before. Aggie, however, noticed that she ate her
cereal with her left hand and used her right arm only when absolutely
necessary. Once before Tish had almost broken an arm cranking a car and
had been driven to arnica compresses for a week; but this time we dared
not suggest anything.

Shortly after breakfast she came down to the porch where Aggie and I
were knitting.

"I've hurt my arm, Lizzie," she said. "I wish you'd come out and crank
the car."

"You'd better stay at home with an arm like that," I replied stiffly.

"Very well, I'll crank it myself."

"Where are you going?"

"To the drug store for arnica."

Bettina was not there, so I turned on Tish sharply. "I'll go, of
course," I said; "but I'll not go without speaking my mind, Letitia
Carberry. By and large, I've stood by you for twenty-five years, and
now in the weakness of your age I'm not going to leave you. But I warn
you, Tish, if you touch that racing-car again, I'll send for Charlie
Sands."

"I haven't any intention of touching it again," said Tish, meekly
eno