But there was no sign that Mrs. Pell knew from her demeanor when she poured the coffee for them.

“I must go down and see Syd about it,” said Roy as they went out into the hall together.  “You’ll have to go to Marley without me.”

“And I’m sure I don’t want to go,” added Rex.

Their decision carried dismay to the hearts of the girls.

“You must go, boys,” said Eva.  “The Minturns have invited us to lunch, we have accepted, and it would be very impolite for you not to go now.  Besides, Jess and I can’t come home after dark alone.”

“If you knew what I do you wouldn’t feel like going either,” returned Rex, not heeding the warning glance cast at him by his brother.

“What do you know, Rex?” asked Jess, looking from one twin to the other with a keen gaze.  “There is something between those two,” she added, turning to her sister.  “You take Roy, Eva, and I’ll take Rex, and we’ll make them up and confess.”

The method of “making” employed was to tickle the boys, who were each very susceptible to this form of torture.  This was terrible.  To have the thing turned into a joke when it was so fearfully serious.  Roy spoke up quickly: 

“We’ll tell you in a little while now, girls,” he said.  “But seriously, I think you had better give up this trip to Marley.”

“But what excuse will we send the Minturns?”

Roy hesitated.  This was a poser.

“Can’t you put it off?” he said finally, as a makeshift.

“Of course we can’t, without giving a reason for it,” returned Jess.  “I think you boys are just as mean as you can be.  Because you’ve got up some scheme between you that you’d rather do than go with us, you just won’t go.”

“Ah, Jess, it isn’t that.  It’s—­ but I can’t tell you now.  Come, Rex, we’d better go after all.  One day won’t make any difference.”

Rex objected a little longer, but was at last won over.

“I don’t suppose we could tell them without Syd’s consent,” he said when he and Roy had gone up stairs to get their coats.  “But it’ll seem exactly like dancing on our own graves.”

“Oh, not so bad as that, Reggie,” returned Roy.

The day was a terribly hard one to both boys.  All sorts of plans were discussed and adopted for future good times.

Charlie and Ethel Minturn were invited up for a week from that day to take lunch and go to a matinee.

“They’ll never be able to take them,” Rex found opportunity to whisper to his brother.  “I wish we’d told the girls about it this morning.”

“So do I, but I didn’t like to till Syd said he was ready.”

The Minturns could not fail to notice that the twins had something on their minds.  Ethel spoke of it.

“Oh, it’s some piece of boys’ mischief, I’ll be bound,” exclaimed Jess, whereupon Roy and Rex exchanged glances and their hearts sank lower still.

On the way home in the train Rex announced that Miles Morrisey was coming that evening to spend Sunday with them.