a wild look. "I wonder if I'd ought to have. I wonder if it would
have helped any."

Ben gave a low laugh. "I'll bet she had the disappointment of her young
life: to tell you that yarn, and tell it so convincingly, and yet dear
old Mehit never rose to the bait!"

Miss Upton glared at him and pulled her hand away. He leaned back and
resumed his former easy attitude. "When are you going to reach the
umbrella?" he asked.

"I've passed it," snapped Miss Mehitable, angry and baffled. "I kept
that long-necked, gawky man off with it, pretty near tripped him up so's
I could get to the table with that poor child."

Ben shook his head slowly. "To think of it! That good old umbrella after
a well-spent life to get you into a trap like that. All the same"--he
looked admiringly at his companion--"there's no hay-seed in _your_ hair.
The dam-sell--pardon, Mehit, it's all right to say damsel, isn't
it?--didn't think best to press things quite far enough to get into your
pocket-book. You call it a rescue. Why do you? Geraldine might have got
something out of the gawk."

Miss Upton's head swung from side to side on her short neck as she gazed
at her friend for a space in defiant silence. His smile irritated her
beyond words.

"Look here, Ben Barry," she said at last; "young folks think old folks
are fools. Old folks _know_ young folks are. Now I want to find that
girl. I see you won't help me, but you can tell me where to get a
detective."

Ben raised his eyebrows. "Hey-doddy-doddy, is it as serious as that?
Geraldine is some actress. It would be a good thing if you could let
well enough alone; but I suspect you'll have to find her before you can
settle down and give Lottie that attention to which she has been
accustomed. I will help you. We won't need any detective. You shall meet
me in town next Saturday. We'll go to that restaurant and others. Ten to
one we'll find her."

"She's left the city," announced Miss Upton curtly.

"She told you so?" the amused question was very gentle.

"That cat of a stepmother had a relative on a farm, some place so
God-forsaken they couldn't keep help, so the cat kindly told the girl
she was desertin' that if other jobs failed she could go there. I've
told you why the other jobs did fail, and it's the truth whether you
believe it or not, and at the time I met her the poor child had given up
hope and decided to take that last resort."

Ben bit his lip. "Back to the farm, Geraldine!"

Miss U