a
topic that interested her, and she was not to be diverted from it till it
was exhausted!

With all her strength, Leslie longed for the time to come when Phyllis
should appear, for she had promised to come again for the night. And when
the supper was eaten and the dishes had been disposed of, Leslie went
outside and paced and paced back and forth on the front veranda, peering
vainly into the darkness to watch for her friend. Miss Marcia, indoors
with Rags by the blazing fire, called several times to her to come in and
share the warmth and comfort, but she felt she could not endure the
confinement in the house and the peaceful sitting by the hearth, when her
thoughts were so upset. Would Phyllis never appear? What could be keeping
her?

It was a small, but very active, indignation meeting that was held when
the two girls were at last together. Leslie would not permit Phyllis to
go indoors for a time after she arrived, though the night was rather
chilly, but kept her on the veranda to explain what had happened.

"The deceitful little thing!" cried Phyllis. "Now I see exactly what she
took us all out for this afternoon, even Miss Marcia--to get rid of us
all for a good long time while some accomplice of hers did what they
pleased in Curlew's Nest, quite undisturbed by any one around!"

"That's exactly what it must have been," agreed Leslie. "But who could
that other person have been?"

"The man with the limp?" suggested Phyllis.

"No, I'm very sure it was not he. This person sprang into the car while
it was still in motion--was very active, evidently. I'm certain the man
with the limp could never have done that!"

"Well, was it a man or a woman? Surely you could tell _that_!"

"No, actually I couldn't. It was getting so dark, and the figure was so
far off, and it all happened so quickly that I couldn't see. But,
Phyllis, I'm horribly disappointed in Eileen! I had begun to think she
was lovely, and that we had misjudged her badly. And now--_this_!"

"She's simply _using_ us--that's plain," agreed Phyllis. "She evidently
intended to do so from the first, after she found out we were right on
the spot here. She deliberately came out to cultivate our acquaintance
and make it seem natural for her to be around here. Then she and the one
she's working with planned to get us away from here for the whole
afternoon and have the field free for anything they pleased. Faugh! It
makes me sick to think of being duped like that!