“You can go on daring all you like,” said Betty defiantly. This time she was blushing! from the fact that she knew she could not, or would not, tell the girls what Allen had said in his letter. Not for anything in this world! “I don’t mean what you mean,” said Mollie, enjoying her confusion immensely, while Grace and Amy looked on laughingly. “I just thought that maybe you would like to be the one to tell us about his promotion.” “His promotion!” cried Amy and Grace together, and Betty looked quite as bewildered as any of them. “Mollie, for goodness’ sake tell us what you mean,” she demanded. “But didn’t he tell you about it, Betty?” Mollie insisted. “Wait a minute,” said the Little Captain as she hastily scanned the pages of her long letter. Then, down near the end of the last page she found it, just a little paragraph, put in as though it had been an afterthought. “Why,” cried Betty, her eyes beginning to shine with excitement, “girls, listen to this. Allen _has_ been promoted. He’s an officer now! a lieutenant! Think of it! leather leggings and all!” It was too much for the girls. They laughed and cried and hugged each other and tried to imagine Allen in his new uniform to their hearts’ content, for the young new-made officer was a favorite with them all. “Goodness,” said Amy happily, “I suppose when he gets home he will be altogether too high-toned to notice common folk like us.” “Oh, I don’t know,” said Grace happily, adding with a sly little glance at Betty, “I imagine he will make an exception of one of us at least.” “I wonder,” drawled Mollie as she picked up her unfinished letter, “which one of us you can mean.” CHAPTER XI. THE HOLD-UP The girls were glad that the letters had come from the boys just as they had, for it helped them to bridge over the tediously long wait till the next morning. They read the missives with the little red triangles in the left hand corner over and over again and! whisper it!! at least two of them slept with the precious letters under their pillows. And then! the morning was upon them. It was a beautiful morning too, and as the girls dressed hurriedly they were glad that they had arranged to start early. In that way they could take their time and enjoy to the full the glorious ride to Moonlight Falls. It was only fifty-five miles, but by driving slowly they could make it seem like twice that. It was barely half past nine when Betty, having finished breakfast and put the last finishing touches to her new white hat, ran around to the garage to get the car out. Ten minutes later she had drawn up in front of Mollie’s house, her ears still ringing with the hundred and one instructions of her anxious mother, and was tooting the horn of her little car furiously. The summons had the desired effect. Mollie came running from the house, straightening her hat with one hand and lugging a valise in the other while the twins trailed at her skirts.