Bobs, a Girl Detective

  CHAPTER XXVI. A HAPPY REUNION

  Dick De Laney was leaning over the railing of the big liner that was totake him away from the country that was home to him and from the girl heloved, whose happiness meant more to him than did his own, but, as helooked out over the choppy waters of the bay and toward the broadAtlantic he could see ahead of him nothing but years of loneliness.

  Then it was that he heard a voice that was eagerly, tremulously callinghis name. He whirled and beheld Roberta back of him, her handsoutstretched. There were tears in her eyes as she said: "Dick, why didyou do it? Why did you plan going away without saying good-bye? Even ifyou have changed your mind, even if you don't care for me any more, itisn't like you to just run away."

  Dick's face, troubled at first, was radiant when the full meaning of thewords reached his consciousness.

  "Bobs," he said, "why, Bobita, I thought you didn't care; that is, Ithought maybe you loved Ralph, and so----"

  "And so you were going away to let me have someone else, you dear oldstupid! To think that I so nearly lost you just because I was so verysure that you loved me; that I never could lose you, and so I didn'twrite about it."

  These two were holding each other's hands and looking deep into eachother's eyes, entirely oblivious of their surroundings. Robertacontinued:

  "Dicky-boy, I've had my lesson, and when we are married, every day thefirst thing, instead of good morning, I am going to say I love you,which, after all, will mean the same thing."

  "Married, Bobs! When are we to be married?"

  The girl laughed at the lad's eagerness, but as many passengers wereappearing on deck, she replied, demurely, "Sometime, of course, and livehappily ever after."

  It was hard for Dick not to shout, but, instead, he said:

  "Come along, dear, and I'll cancel my passage, and then I'll go home withyou and tell you what all this means to me. I can't very well here."Then, as he glanced about, he inquired: "How did you get here, Bobs? Didyou come alone?"

  "No, Ralph brought me." Her conscience rebuked her, for she hadcompletely forgotten the existence of her other friend. "He was as hurtas I was because you were going away without seeing him," she told Dick.

  "Poor old Ralph," was all he said. "I certainly am sorry for him, but Isuppose it can't be helped."

  "Sorry for Ralph? Why?" Roberta's expression of surprised inquiry was sofrank that the lad knew his pal had never spoken of his love.

  Dick was even more puzzled when, upon reaching the dock, he saw hisfriend Ralph leap toward them with hands outstretched. Joyfully heexclaimed: "Great. I know by your radiant faces that you've made up. Icongratulate you both. I certainly am glad that we made it on time." Thenafter a hearty hand-shaking: "What put that wild notion of flight intoyour head, old man? You can't get rid of us that easy, can he, Bobs? Mydetective-partner here has been telling me that she has been engaged toyou ever since she wore pinafores, or was it a little later?"

  Roberta laughed. "I believe I had on a riding habit that day, didn't I,Dick?"

  Ralph turned away after a fleeting glance at the girl's face as it wasuplifted to his roommate. He had not dreamed that she could be asbeautiful as that expression of love had made her.

  Dick was replying, "Oh, it doesn't much matter when it happened, dear.The big thing is that it did happen at all."

  Then, when they were in the big green car (the front seat was wide enoughto hold all three of them), Dick began to ask questions.

  "How is Gwen now?" was the first of them. He was pleased to hear that thegirl, but a year Roberta's senior, was much better and visiting hissister, Phyllis.

  Then it was that Bobs thought of something. "Why, Ralph," she said, "younever did have an opportunity to meet my beautiful sister, Gwendolyn, didyou? She hasn't been strong enough to visit with strangers, and now shehas gone away for a whole month."

  Dick smiled as he said to the driver: "Bobs is giving herself acompliment when she calls Gwendolyn beautiful, for the family resemblancebetween the two girls is very striking."

  Roberta laughed. "I should say that it must be, Dick. Did I ever writeyou about the time a stage manager thought that I _was_ Gwen, and Iactually had to do a song and dance? I laugh every time I think of it.Gloria said afterwards that it was a natural mistake, for though I am notas sylph-like as my sister, we do look very much the same."

  Ralph smiled, but he made no response. His thought was commenting: "Asthough anyone could be like you, Bobs."

  It was noon when the Pensinger mansion was reached, and Roberta told thelads that she wasn't going to ask them in just then, as she had to dosome writing for Mr. Jewett that must be delivered that afternoon, butshe invited them both to supper, if they weren't afraid to eat hercooking. Dick said he certainly would reappear as soon as she wouldpermit him to come, but Ralph had an engagement with his Dad. As that wasnot unusual, Bobs did not think that this time it was an excuse to remainaway, as indeed it was.

  Roberta turned at the house door to wave to the lads in the car that wasstarting away. Vaguely she wondered what they would talk about. Howlittle she knew of the aching heart that one of them was so bravelytrying to hide.