style="font-size:15px;"> “Yes, twenty-five dollars, but I did not have it.”
“I did have twenty. She got that,” Gay said and giggled.
“Then you’ll see! She’ll get another present from her dear William to-morrow,” Lorna said. “Is n’t it just as I said; every time she borrows from us she gets a present from dear William? You’ll see. It will be something worth about twenty dollars. Say, Gay – ”
“Yes?”
“You know I said I did not believe her William was really engaged to her at all?”
“Yes?”
“Well, I don’t believe there is any William. I don’t believe he exists. I think Henrietta made him up entirely. I believe she invented him.”
“Oh, lovely!” Gay cooed. “Is n’t she wonderful? But why, Lorna? Why should she?”
“That’s what I’ve been wondering. Not just to get money from us, because she uses it to buy the presents she says her William sends. She has no need to buy presents for her William to send. We would believe in her William quite as easily without the presents.”
“Is n’t it exciting?” Gay cooed again.
“Well, I never knew anything like it, I’ll say that,” agreed Lorna. “When you think of the trouble she has gone to, and how she has kept it up. Gay, do you think she has any idea we don’t believe her?”
“Of course not! But isn’t it the strangest thing for anybody to do?”
“I don’t know,” said Lorna thoughtfully. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot since I first had a suspicion, and it is n’t really so strange. You know what Henrietta is like. She loves to shine. She hates to play second fiddle. Do you remember when we first heard of her dear Billy?”
“When she was at Spirit Lake, where she said she met him. She wrote about the engagement from there.”
“Yes,” said Lorna; “and do you remember what was going on here in Riverbank just before she went on vacation?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t remember how Carter Bruce was rushing you then!” scoffed Lorna. “I remember perfectly well that Henrietta and I agreed you and Carter would be engaged before the summer ended.”
“Oh, Carter Bruce!” admitted Gay. “Of course, he was fussing around. He is always fussing around. Or was.”
“Yes, and we thought he was going to steal you, Gay. Well – that’s the answer!”
“You mean – ”
“Of course! Henrietta just couldn’t stand having you engaged when she was not. So she invented Billy Vane while she was at Spirit Lake, and told us he had gone out to Colorado, where he would be out of the way.”
“But who writes her the letters from Colorado?”
“How do I know? She may have a brother out there. That is easy. She would have dear Bill go wherever there was some one who could write her a letter now and then. And Henrietta does the rest. It is n’t so impossible when you think of it that way, is it? After she had invented dear Bill it was natural enough that she should keep him alive and interested, when we were so interested.”
“Lorna, it is the greatest thing I ever heard of!” exclaimed Gay. “And I think you are a wizard to discover the truth.”
“No, I’m not,” said Lorna. “Just think back, Gay. The strange thing is that we did not hit on it sooner. Think! Can’t you remember a hundred things that should have made us suspicious?”
“Yes,” Gay admitted. “Especially the presents, and the way she borrows just before the presents come.”
“And never letting us see a single letter, and always moving away when we come near her when she is reading them to us, and never getting another photograph from Billy ‘ – and a thousand things.”
“Yes,” said Gay again; and then, “Are you going to do anything about it?”
“Do? No, why should I? If she enjoys it I’m sure we do. Only – we must not lend her any more, if we can help it. There’s no reason why we should lend her our hard-earned money to buy presents for herself with.”
Gay giggled.
“How much does she owe you now?” she asked.
“Almost two hundred.”
“And me over one hundred and fifty! Is n’t it rich?”
“It’s peachy!”
In her own room Henrietta Bates was looking at her comely face reflected in her mirror. She was pleased with it, and she glanced down at the three framed photographs on her dresser. One was the picture of the imaginary William Vane, the others were of her dearest friends – Gay and Lorna. To William’s portrait she gave only a careless glance. She lingered over Gay’s and Lorna’s.
“Stupid dears!” she thought. “So you have found me out? It has taken you long enough, I’m sure. I wonder what next.”
CHAPTER V
As Lorna Percy, Lem, and Gay Loring sat on the porch a jaunty straw hat came into view above the terrace, and, as it reached the gate, proved to be on the head of a man as jaunty as the hat. The man paused at the gate to look up the street.
“There’s Freeman,” said Lorna. “He’s home early.”
“Not so very. It is getting toward supper-time.”
Gay answered. “I’d better be getting home to help mother set the table.”
“Poor excuse!” teased Lorna. “But run along if you want to have a nice little session at the gate all by your lonies. Gay – ”
“Yes?”
“I do think Freeman is in love with you.”
Gay colored.
“Why?” she asked.
“The way he acts, and everything. Don’t you think so yourself?”
“Well – he’s persistent enough. He’s never said anything outright. Not anything much. I don’t know whether he loves me or just wants to see how far he can go, Lorna.”
Lorna was silent for a moment.
“I’d say I was glad if he was n’t such a – you know, Gay. Flashy. Don’t you think he is rather flashy? Not very heavy. He’s fast, too. I’d rather have you like Carter Bruce.”
“For all I know he is a thousand miles from thinking anything serious,” Gay answered. “I’m simply not going to take him seriously until he is serious.”
“How old do you suppose he really is?”
“Twenty-five. Don’t you think so?”
“I
