ound the corner of the porch with Paul Ardite and
Hal Watson, a young man lately engaged to play juvenile roles. Hal had
become very friendly with the little group that circled around Ruth and
Alice.

"You girls have an hour yet before you go on," Russ informed them. "We
haven't anything to do until then, either. Want to take a run in to
town? I've got to call at the express office for some extra film, and
the auto is ready. Where's Ruth?"

"Up in her room. I'll go for her," offered Alice. "Shall we have time?"

"Plenty. You can even buy yourself some candy--or let us do it for you,"
laughed Paul.

"We'll let you do it!" said Estelle, as Alice hastened to summon her
sister.

"Ruth! Ruth! where are you?" called Alice, as she ran upstairs--Alice
seldom walked.

"Here, just reading over my new part. What's the matter?"

"We're going for an auto ride with the boys. Come along. You can study
in the car."

"Yes, a lot of studying I could do under those circumstances. But I'll
come--I want a bit of diversion. Who else is going?"

Alice told her, and then spoke about the young lieutenant.

"Wasn't it queer he should be mistaken?" she asked.

Ruth did not reply for a moment.

"Wasn't it?" repeated her sister.

"I was just wondering," said Ruth, slowly. "Was it?"

CHAPTER XII

AN INTERRUPTION

While Alice was putting on her hat Ruth looked at her in some surprise.

"Was it?" she repeated.

"Was what?" asked her sister.

"Was it a mistake?"

"Of course it was, Ruth! Didn't I tell you Estelle said he must have
taken her for some one else, as she had never been in Portland in her
life? Of course, it was a mistake. What makes you think it wasn't?"

"Because, Alice, I am beginning to have doubts regarding Estelle."

"Doubts! You don't mean about the ring?"

"Of course not! But I am beginning to think she is not altogether what
she seems to be."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, nothing serious, of course. And if she has done what I think she
has it isn't any worse than many girls have done, and have gained by it,
rather than lost, though it was risky."

"You mean?"

"I mean that I believe she isn't telling us all she knows. She is hiding
something about her past. And I believe it is that she has run away from
home because her family would not let her go into moving pictures. You
know we sort of suspected that before. Now, in that case, she would have
every reason to deny that she had seen that y