“Oh, all right,” she said, meekly yielding up her nose to treatment.  “I surrender.  Only, Amy, do be—­”

Amy raised the puff threateningly, and the badgered one continued hastily:  “I was only going to say—­do be a nice little girl.”

“As if I were not always that!” retorted Amy, dabbing so liberally at the unfortunate member that Mollie sneezed, bumped over a rock in the road and nearly dashed the car against that long-threatening tree.

“Oh, goodness!  I was sure we’d never come out of this alive,” cried Grace miserably.  “Isn’t it enough to have our hearts broken, without our necks in the bargain?”

“Oh, might as well make a good job of it,” returned Mollie cheerfully.  “I don’t know that I’d mind very much, anyway.”

“Oh, now I know I’m going to cry!” wailed Grace, wiping a starting tear with her handkerchief.  “Just when we’re almost at Camp, too, and apt to meet somebody any minute—­”

“Didn’t you just hear Betty say,” Mollie broke in, with the patient air one assumes in speaking to little children, “that everybody who is really worth anything has gone away on that train?”

“Well, I guess I didn’t altogether mean that,” said Betty thoughtfully.  “Of course there is the medical personnel that is stationed here indefinitely and very much against its will.  And, of course,” she added, after a moment’s pause, “there is Sergeant Mullins.”

“Goodness! we did forget all about him, didn’t we?” agreed Mollie, as though surprised at herself.  “I don’t know how we could have done such a thing!”

“And he’s simply desperate at being kept here,” added Amy suddenly.  “He’s done everything he possibly could to get away, but they say they need him more here than on the other side, and so, of course, he can’t do a thing.”

“How did you know?” they asked in chorus, growing gleeful as she colored under their gaze.

“Why, he—­he told me,” she stammered.

“Aha!  I have you now, woman,” cried Mollie, with a deep villain frown.  “Secret meetings on moonlit nights—­”

“This one happened to be in the broad daylight, in the glare of noon,” Amy retorted.  “And if you can find anything secret or romantic about that, you’re welcome to.”

Mollie stared for a minute, then joined in the laugh.

“Strike one,” she cried.  “But do tell us, Amy clear, about this meeting with Sergeant Mullins that occurred in the broad light of day.  It must have been interesting—­though unforeseen,” she added hastily, as Amy turned a suspicious eye upon her.

“Yes, Amy, I humbly beseech you,” added Grace.

“No, sir, I have been insulted enough,” declared Amy stoutly, and nothing they could say seemed to have any effect upon her decision.

“You ask her, Betty,” entreated Grace at last, turning to the Little Captain, who had been very silent and thoughtful during the ride.  “She’ll do anything for you, you know.”