CHAPTER XII
STRAIGHTENING THINGS OUT
Betty's speech was shock number one. Another quickly followed.
The gentleman tugged quizzically at his short gray mustache.
"And you," he announced quietly, "are not my niece, Betty Littell!"
Esther and Louise stared, round-eyed, while Bobby collapseddramatically on a convenient couch.
"Have we kidnapped anybody?" she asked, a bit hysterically. "Goodgracious, Dad, don't tell me I've forcibly run off with a girl?Haven't you made a mistake? She must be Betty--she said so."
"My darlings, I'm sorry to be late," said a new voice, a rich, sweetcontralto, and a stout woman with a kindly, florid face swept throughthe doorway. "Why, what is the matter?" she demanded hurriedly,confronting the tense group.
"Momsie!" exclaimed Bobby, hurling herself upon the newcomer. "Oh,Momsie, isn't this Betty Littell? We went to meet her and she saidher name was Betty, and all the way home she talked about Uncle Dick,and now she says dad isn't her uncle! I'm afraid I've made a mess ofthings."
"Yes, I think you have," said Betty, with blazing cheeks. "I came toWashington to meet my uncle, Mr. Richard Gordon, who is stopping atthe Willard. Of course my name is Betty. I'm Betty Gordon, and he'smy Uncle Dick. And goodness only knows what he is doing now--he'll beabout crazy if he came to meet me."
Bobby began to laugh uncontrollably.
"I never heard of such a thing in my life!" she giggled, wiping hereyes. "Dad's name is Richard Littell, and we've been expecting ourcousin Betty Littell to arrive to-day from Vermont for a long visit.We haven't seen her since she was six years old, but I took a chanceon recognizing her. And then there was the name! How could I guessthere would be two Bettys looking for two Uncle Dicks! Don't be mad,Betty; you can see a mix-up like that wouldn't happen twice in a lifetime."
"She isn't mad," interposed Mr. Littell, lowering himself carefullyto the window seat, for he had been standing all this time and hisfoot began to pain again. "After she knows you a little better,Bobby, she will expect this sort of denouement to follow whatever youundertake. I say we ought to have some dinner, Mother, and then talkat the table."
"Of course, of course," agreed motherly Mrs. Littell. "The poorchild must be famished. Take Betty--you don't mind if I call youBetty, do you, dear?--up to your room, Bobby, and when you come downdinner will be served."
"But my uncle!" urged Betty. "He will be so worried. And the othergirl--where do you suppose she is?"
"By George, the child has more sense than I have," said Mr. Littellenergetically. "I'd give a fortune if Bobby had half as level a head.Our Betty is probably having hysterics in the station if she hasn'ttaken the next train back to Vermont."
His keen eyes twinkled appreciatively at Betty, and she knew thatshe liked him and also sensed instinctively that his eldest daughterwas very like him.
"Why, Father, how you do talk!" reproved Mrs. Littell comfortably."I'll call up the station while the girls are upstairs and then Bettyshall call the Willard, or you do it for her, and then perhaps we caneat dinner before the souffle is quite ruined."
The girls took Betty upstairs to a luxurious suite of rooms theyshared, and when she had bathed her face and hands and brushed herhair, they came down to find that Mr. Littell had called up the UnionStation and discovered that because of a freight wreck the Vermontexpress had been delayed and would not be in before nine o'clock thatnight.
"So our Betty is probably having a comfortable dinner on the train,"he announced. "Now just a minute, and I'll have the Willard for theother Betty. We'll tell your uncle you are safe and that we'll bringyou into Washington to-night."
In a few minutes he had the connection, and they heard him ask forMr. Richard Gordon. His mobile face changed as the clerk answered,and Betty, watching, knew that he had disconcerting news. He turnedto them, covering the mouthpiece with his hand.
"Mr. Gordon left early this morning for Oklahoma," he said. "He leftan address for mail, and there's a telegram which came after he left.It was sent from Halperin and was received at eleven-thirty thismorning."
"That's the one I sent!" answered Betty. "And Uncle Dick's gone toOklahoma! What on earth shall I do?"
"Do!" repeated Mr. and Mrs. Littell in concert. "Why, stay righthere with us, of course! Do you suppose we'd let a young girl likeyou knock around alone in a city? We'll be glad to have you stay aslong as you will, and you mustn't be uncomfortable another second.When you hear from your uncle there'll be plenty of time to makeother plans."
Betty did not try to express her gratitude to these new kindfriends, for she knew that she could never say one-half the thanksshe felt toward them. They were cordiality itself, and did everythingin their power to make her feel at home. An excellent dinner wasserved in the charming dining-room with a mixture of formality andsimple home courtesy that was as unusual as it was delightful, and inthis atmosphere of good breeding and tact, Betty bloomed like alittle rose.
"A charming girl, whoever she is," said Mr. Littell to his wife, ashe smoked his cigar after dinner and the girls drew Betty to thepiano. "She has plenty of spirit, but lacks Bobby's boisterousness.It will be a good thing for the girls to have some one like her,self-reliant and quiet and yet with decided snap, to chum with."
"I like the idea of five girls in the house," beamed Mrs. Littell,who was the soul of hospitality and fairly idolized her threedaughters. Whatever discipline they had came from their father. "Andnow I think I had better go to the station, after our Betty, don'tyou?"
"Oh, Mother!" came in concert from the piano, where Bobby wasrattling off a lively waltz. "We all want to go. Please? There'splenty of room in the car."
Mrs. Littell looked undecided.
"One of you may go with your mother," said Mr. Littell decisively."I think it had better be Louise. Now, there is no use in arguing.One girl is enough. Betty will be tired after traveling all night andall day, and she will be in no mood for talking and carrying on. I'lltell Carter to bring the car around, Mother."
Bobby pouted for a few moments after her mother and sister had gone,but her good-nature was easily restored and she and Betty and Estherwere deep in an exchange of confidences when Mrs. Littell returnedbringing the missing Betty with her.
"Now stand up for a minute, you two Bettys," commanded Bobby, whengreetings had been exchanged and explanations made. "I want to see ifI made such a dreadful mistake in taking Betty Gordon for BettyLittell."
The two girls stood side by side, and though they both had dark eyesand hair, there the resemblance ceased. Betty Littell was a dumplingof a girl with curly hair, a snub nose and round face. She looked thepicture of good-nature, and her plumpness suggested a fondness forsweets that subsequent acquaintance with her fully sustained.
Betty Gordon had grown tall through the summer, and she was of aslender, wiry build that hinted of a fondness for outdoor life. Herheavy straight hair was wrapped around her well-shaped little head inbraids, and her exquisite little hands and feet, so far her one claimto beauty, though later promises lay in her glowing face, gave her,as Louise afterward confided to her mother, "an air like an Indianprincess."
"No, you don't look much alike," conceded Bobby, after a prolongedscrutiny. "But Betty Gordon looks the way I thought Betty Littellwould look, so I don't see that I am to blame."
"Trust Bobby to excuse herself from a scrape," chuckled her father."By the way, how are you going to arrange about names? Two Bettys inthe family will involve complications."
"I think we'll have to call Betty Littell, 'Libbie'" suggested Mrs.Littell, smiling. "That was your mother's name at home, always, Betty."
"Yes, I know it; and that's why they called me Betty," replied theLittell girl. "Two names, the same names, I mean, do make confusion.I'm willing to be called Libbie, Aunt Rachel, if you let me have alittle time to get used to it. If I don't answer right away, you'llunderstand that I'm listening for 'Betty.'"
"Well, Mother, I think at least two of these girls need sleep,
"announced Mr. Littell. "Betty Gordon looks as if she couldn't keepher eyes open another moment, and Betty Littell has yawned twice. Ishould say we all might retire--it's after eleven."
"Goodness, so it is," said his wife hastily. "Time does fly so whenyou're talking. Come, girls, if you are going sightseeing to-morrow,you'll need a good night's rest."
There were three bedrooms and a private bath at the disposal of thegirls, and separate beds in all the rooms. Betty Gordon shared a roomwith Bobby, Louise and Betty Littell had the one adjoining, andEsther slept alone in the third room, which was also connected withthe others.
Long after the other girls were asleep Betty lay awake, thinkingover the happenings of the day. Finally she worked around to thesuggested change in names.
"They must expect me to stay if they plan to avoid confusion ofnames," she thought. "I must talk to Mr. Littell in the morning andask him if it's really all right. I feel as if it were an impositionfor me, a perfect stranger, to accept their hospitality like this."
In the morning she was up and dressed before the rest, fortunatelyhaving a fresh blouse in her bag so that, although she had nothingbut her suit skirt, she looked well-groomed and dainty. Betty Littellwas also without her trunk, though Bobby promised that both trunksshould be brought from the station that morning.
"I'd like to speak to your father a minute," said Betty, when shewas dressed.
Bobby, on the floor tying her shoes, blew her a kiss.
"You'll find him on the terrace probably," she said confidently. "Goahead, dear, but it won't do you any good. We're determined to keepyou to play with us."
So the astute Bobby had guessed what she wanted to say!Nevertheless, Betty was determined to carry out her resolution. Shewent slowly down the wide staircase and stepped out through doublescreen doors on to the bricked terrace. Sure enough, there sat Mr.Littell, smoking comfortably and reading his morning paper.