The girls were silent for a few minutes, realizing that Billie’s strange inheritance did not do a thing toward solving the old problems of the broken statue and of going to boarding school.

Then Violet, who was always thinking up some happy way out of a difficulty, gave a little bounce in the swing.

“How do we know,” she cried, as the girls looked at her half hopefully, “but what you could sell some of the furniture in the old house and get enough to pay for the statue?”

“We might, at that,” said Billie, her face lighting up again.  “But mother said it must all be awfully old,” she added doubtfully.

“All the better,” cried Violet, growing more and more enthusiastic.  “You say that the old house dates back to revolutionary times, Billie.  How do we know but what some of the old furniture would be very valuable as antiques?”

“Violet, you’re a wonder!” cried Billie, hugging her so hard that she gasped for breath.  “I’d never have thought of that in a thousand years.  Now you speak of it,” she added thoughtfully, “I remember some antique furniture that Uncle Bill has in his library.  He says it’s worth all sorts of money, but I wouldn’t give two cents for it.”

“Well, as long as somebody will, what should we care!” cried Laura flippantly.  “Maybe you’ll make a fortune for yourself after all, Billie.”

“Oh, and think what it would mean!” cried Violet, her eyes shining.  “It would mean that you could pay for that beastly old statue, Billie.  And it would mean that you could go to Three Towers with us.”

“And Chet could go to the military academy with Teddy and Ferd,” Laura added.

“For goodness’ sake!” cried poor Billie wildly.  “You make me feel dizzy.  What is the use of getting my hopes all raised?  Probably Aunt Beatrice’s furniture will be old, fallen-to-pieces stuff that nobody would give two cents for.”

“Goodness, what a wet blanket!” cried Laura reproachfully.

“Well, I’d rather be a wet blanket,” retorted Billie desperately, “than to plan for a lot of fun and then be disappointed.  I—­I’ve been disappointed enough, goodness knows.”

There was a quiver in Billie’s brave little mouth and instinctively Violet and Laura put an arm about her.

“We know what you mean,” said Violet, soothingly.  “And if you don’t want us to, we’ll try not to hope too hard.”

“Or if we do, we’ll keep it to ourselves,” added Laura, and Billie hugged them fondly.

“I don’t want you to stop hoping,” she cried plaintively.  “And I don’t want to be a wet blanket, either.  I’m just afraid, that’s all.”

The girls swung back and forth in silence for a few minutes.  Then it was Laura who spoke.

“When are you going out to look over your property, Billie?”

“Why, I don’t know,” answered Billie thoughtfully.  “As soon as we can arrange it, I suppose.  Dad says it’s a full day’s trip to get there, so we would have to make some arrangement to stay over night.”