"Possibly. He didn't tell me the reason. But Henrietta didn't come until nearly ten o'clock." "Well!" The discomfited Letty devoted herself to her work for some minutes in silence. But she could not keep silent long. "So Dick gave you all that information, I suppose. I wondered how you got it all so pat." "No," returned Mrs. Upjohn calmly. "I haven't seen Dick, to speak to, for a good while." Miss Lambkin laid down her work. "Well, Alicia," she said slowly, "will you be good enough to tell me how you found out all that--right up to last night?" "Better than that, Letty," Mrs. Upjohn replied. "I know what happened this morning, about half past seven." "They ate their breakfast, I suppose," snapped Letty. "I could have told you that." "They didn't have breakfast until eight," said Mrs. Upjohn. "Oh, Lord!" cried Miss Lambkin in utter disgust. She had been tried beyond the bounds of reason. Mrs. Upjohn laughed until the tears stood in her eyes. "As to my information, Letty," she said as soon as she could speak, "I pick it up here and there, and I use my eyes." "As much as to say that you give a good guess. I thought I was pretty good at picking up information. But you have me beat, Alicia, I'm free to confess." Mrs. Upjohn made no reply. "It's rather a pity that Dick didn't choose nearer home," Miss Lambkin resumed, after pausing long enough for the reply which did not come. "There's Sally, now." "They'd have made a good match," Mrs. Upjohn observed, sighing reminiscently, "but there's no accounting for tastes in such matters." "Meaning Everett?" asked Letty, looking up sharply. Mrs. Upjohn shook her head. "Not especially." "I suppose you know," said Miss Lambkin pointedly, "with your sources of accurate information, that he's hanging around again. There was a time when it seemed to be all off for a few weeks." Mrs. Upjohn nodded. "There are some cases where you can't even give a good guess," Letty continued maliciously. "Aren't there, Alicia?" Mrs. Upjohn nodded again; but she only rocked gently and said nothing. Miss Lambkin seemed to be following out a train of thought, but in silence. That was not her custom. She usually pursued thought with a wild halloa. Presently she gave a sort of a cackle, which with her did duty for a chuckle of amusement. "I'd give something to have seen Charlie Ladue when he first heard of Patty's fix. I'll warrant he didn't like it. I wonder whether Sally knows. It seems to me that she ought to be told." "Told what, Letty? A pack of stories that are no more than guessing? And who's to tell her? When we know anything about Charlie it'll be time enough to be thinking about telling Sally." "All the same," Letty pursued obstinately, "Sally ought to know." "Humph!" said Mrs. Upjohn. CHAPTER XVI