"Pooh! I don't care," said Bumble. "I'd just as lieve people would know
how old I am. Nan is twenty-two, and she doesn't care who knows it."

"You look about fifty in those ridiculous clothes," said Patty.

"Do I?" said Nan, quite unconcernedly. "I don't mind that a bit, but I
don't think I can keep them at this stage of whiteness for many days.
Can anything be done to coax our trunks this way?"

"We might do some telephoning after dinner," said Mr. Fairfield. "What is
the situation up to the present time?"

"Why, you see it was this way," said Bumble. "When the carriage came to
take us to the station, the trunks weren't quite ready, and mamma said
for us to go on and she'd finish packing them and send them down in time
to get that train or the next."

"And did they come for that train?"

"No, they didn't, and so, of course, they must have been sent on the next
one; but even so, they ought to be here now, because, you know, we went
on through and came back."

"But how did you get your checks if your trunks weren't put on the
train?"

"Oh, the baggageman knows us," explained Bob, "and he gave us our checks
and kept the duplicates to put on our trunks when they came down to the
station. He often does that."

"Yes," said Bumble, "we've never had our trunks ready yet when the man
came for them."

"Nan's was ready," put in Bob, who was a great stickler for justice,
"but, of course, hers couldn't go till ours did. Oh, I guess they'll turn
up all right."

They did turn up all right twenty-four hours later, but the exchange of
suit-cases was not so easily effected.

However, after more or less correspondence between Nan and the nurse who
owned the uniform, the transfer was finally made, and Nan recovered her
pretty blue gown, which certainly bore no evidence of having been worn in
a sickroom.

"But I bet she wore it, all the same," said Bob. "She probably
neglected her patient and went to a party that night just because she
had the frock."

CHAPTER XXI

A GOOD SUGGESTION

August at Boxley Hall proved to be a month of fun and frolic. The Barlow
cousins were much easier to entertain than the St. Clairs. In fact, they
entertained themselves, and as for Nan Allen, she entertained everybody
with whom she came in contact. Mr. Fairfield expressed himself as being
delighted to have Patty under the influence of such a gracious and
charming young woman, and Aunt Alice quite agreed with him. Marian adored