“Oh, I’m sure Cora was only too glad to be able to get you the chance.”

“And thank you, also.  I know the part you had in it.”

“Oh, I didn’t do anything.  It was all Cora.  Though of course Bess Robinson would deny me nothing,” added Jack and laughed.  “She thinks I’m simply perfect.  I heard her tell Cora so,” and Jack walked up and down in pretended self-admiration, while the others threatened to pick him up and toss him out into the cold moonlight, where they said he belonged in that particular state of lunacy.

“Ida’s ring,” mused Jack, after he had calmed down.  “Just plain Ida.  Now if it had only been Bess, Belle or—­Hazel.”

“No, no!” protested Paul.

“Well, all right,” assented Jack.  “Ida’s it is.”  He wrapped the ring carefully in paper and put it in his pocket.  “I’ll take the best of care of it, Paul, of course, and I’ll also collect the reward for you, and hand it over personally.  You can trust me for that.  But I wonder why we haven’t had some inquiries from Ida before this?”

“Maybe she is so unused to it that she hasn’t missed it,” suggested Ed.

“No girl is ever unused to her first engagement ring,” declared Paul.  “Well, I’m going.  Goodnight.”

“This finding of things in pockets is growing interesting,” remarked Ed when the door had closed on Paul.  “I wonder if any of the girls found valuables in their costumes?”

“Hardly,” declared Jack.  “No one could ever find their pockets to drop anything in.  But I’ll put this in the safe and mark it `to be kept until called for.’  Won’t Cora and the other girls be surprised!” and he slammed the iron door shut, having, by an odd chance, dropped the diamond circlet into the very compartment that contained the bonds so strangely returned to Ed.

CHAPTER XXI

REAL MOTOR GIRLS

Cora was up early the next morning, and went out alone for a spin in her car.  She wanted to think over the happenings at the lawn fete, to recall various matters, and to try to straighten out some tangles that confused her.  It was delightful to skim along the quiet road, the powerful motor of her car singing a song of speed and progress.

“I suppose Jack and Ed are sleeping yet,” she said to herself, “though how Ed can, after the strange recovery of his bonds, is more than I can understand.”

Ed was gone when she returned, and Jack seemed surprised to see his sister returning from an early morning run.

“I thought you’d sleep for hours yet,” he said “I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Is it about the bonds?”

“No, not exactly.  Look at that!”

He held out the diamond ring.

“Jack!” she cried with a little catch in her voice.  “You don’t mean to tell me that’s an engagement Ting?”

“That’s exactly what it is.”

“But for some girl—­”