“Isn’t it train time yet?” asked Billie, as she had asked many times during the last fifteen minutes.

“Here,” said Chet, handing over his watch, “take this and keep looking at it.  My voice is getting hoarse saying ‘no.’”

“But I don’t see why we can’t go down to the station anyway,” argued Billie.

“Only that it’s about a hundred times more comfortable to wait here.”

“But we might miss the train,” wailed Billie, and Chet jumped to his feet with a chuckle.

“Oh, come on,” he cried.  “We’ve missed the train several times according to you.  In a minute you will almost have me worried.”

“You’re a dear old bear,” said Billie, snuggling her arm into his as they set off.

“You certainly do have a way with you, Billie, that gets you what you want,” he admitted, adding meaningly:  “Besides, I’m thinking I’d better keep on the right side of you just now.”

“Why?” asked Billie, puzzled.

“In case Aunt Beatrice left you something.  You were her namesake, remember.”

Billie glanced up at him, an eager look in her eyes.  But her glance fell again and she shook his arm severely.

“What’s the use of raising hopes?” she said dolefully, as a vision of the broken “Girl Reading a Book” rose reproachfully before her and she thought longingly of how happy she could be if it were only possible to replace it.

And there was Three Towers Hall—­but she shook off the thought and had opened her mouth to speak when the sharp blast of an engine whistle made them jump.

“Chet,” she gasped, “it’s the train!  We mustn’t miss it.”

“We can make it if we run,” said Chet, as he took hold of her arm.  “Come on!  No, not that way—­the short cut.  That’s the idea.”

Warm and panting they came out upon the station platform just as the train drew in.  They watched the passengers eagerly, but not at first seeing those they sought, had almost decided that they were coming on a later train when away down at the end of the platform, Billie espied a familiar hat.

“There they are!  Mother!” she cried, as they came within hailing distance.  “We thought you weren’t on the train.  Oh, what a fright we had!”

After the greetings were over Chet and Billie both noticed that their parents seemed to be in a state of suppressed excitement, and both of them wondered.

However, they had too much to talk about just then to do much wondering about anything, and they walked slowly toward home, asking and answering a very flood of questions.

Mrs. Bradley wanted to know how Billie had got along without her, at which both Chet and Billie tried to tell the story of Nellie Bane’s collie at the same time and in the same breath.

When they had finished Mr. Bradley chuckled, but Mrs. Bradley looked grave.

“It happened to be funny,” she said.  “But it might have been very serious.  I hope you were careful after that.”