"Yes, that is it; it was fine of her," said Margaret. "Now, girls, suppose we have a Speciality meeting to-morrow night? You know by our rules we are allowed to have particular meetings. I will give my room for the purpose; and suppose we ask Betty to join us there?" "Agreed!" said they all; and after a little more conversation the Specialities separated, having no room in their hearts for games or any other frivolous nonsense that evening. CHAPTER XVI AFTERWARDS When Betty had made her confession, and had left Susie Rushworth's room, she went straight to bed; she went without leave, and dropped immediately into profound slumber. When she awoke in the morning her head felt clear and light, and she experienced a sense of rejoicing at what she had done. "I have told them, and they know," she said to herself. "I have given them the whole story in a nutshell. I don't really care what follows." Mingled with her feeling of rejoicing was a curious sense of defiance. Her sisters asked her what was the matter. She said "Nothing." They remarked on her sound sleep of the night before, on the early time she had retired from the Specialities' meeting. They again ventured to ask if anything was the matter. She said "No." Then Sylvia began to break a very painful piece of information: "Dickie's gone!" "Oh," said Betty, her eyes flashing with anger, "how can you possibly have been so careless as to let the spider loose?" "He found a little hole just above the door in the attic, and crept into it, and we couldn't get him out," said Sylvia. "No, he wouldn't come out," added Hetty, "though we climbed on two chairs, one on top of the other, and poked at him with a bit of stick." "Oh, I dare say he's all right now," said Betty. "You will probably find him again to-day. He's sure to come for his raw meat." "But don't you care, Bet? Won't it be truly awful if our own Dickie is dead?" "Dead! He won't die," said Betty; "but there's quite a possibility he may frighten some one. I know one person I'd like to frighten." "Oh Bet, who do you mean?" "That horrid girl--that cousin of ours, Fanny Crawford." "We don't like her either," said the twins. "She'd be scared to death at Dickie," said Betty. "She's a rare old coward, you know. But never mind, don't bother; you'll probably find him this morning when you go up with his raw meat. He's sure to come out of his hole in order to get his food." "I don't think so," said Hester in a gloomy voice; "for there are lots and lots of flies in that attic, and Dickie will eat them and think them nicer than raw meat." "Well, it's time to go downstairs now," said Betty.