CHAPTER XV
WE'RE OFF!
Nan could not help laughing at this speech of her chum's, and she turnedher chair about to face Bess. Nan did not like riding backward in atrain very much herself, but as Bess had declared she "simply couldn'tstand it," it was unselfish Nan, as usual, who did the unpleasant thing.
But, the chair turned, as she sank down into its luxurious depth shelooked across gravely at her friend.
"I don't see why you say that Linda did that awful thing up at school,"she said. "We haven't the slightest proof in the world that she was theguilty one. That handkerchief you found didn't really prove anything."
Bess sniffed as she reached over to open her bag and get out from amongits heterogeneous contents a box of sweets she had thoughtfullyremembered to slip in before she started.
"Of course we don't know that she did it," she said, opening the box andoffering it to Nan. "But you know very well there isn't another girl inthe school who is mean enough to think of such a thing."
"Y-yes," answered Nan doubtfully, as she pushed the candy over towardits owner. "But on the other hand, I never thought Linda had nerveenough to do anything like that. Why, she might have been dreadfullyhurt herself!"
"Of course she didn't know that she was in danger," retorted Bess, witha scornful little toss of her head. "She didn't have brains enough."
"Just the same," said Nan decidedly, "I don't think we ought to accuseher until we have something definite to go on."
"Isn't that just like Nan Sherwood!" cried Bess, regarding her chum witha mixture of fondness and irritation. "Always making excuses foreverybody! I suppose if we had caught Linda in the act, you would stillsay it must have been somebody else."
"Hardly as bad as that," said Nan, with a little laugh, adding, while acloud passed over her face: "Goodness knows I have more reason than anyof the rest of the girls for disliking Linda. She never accused any onebut me of stealing. I only hope," she added, "that we don't meet hersomewhere on this trip."
"Goodness gracious, Nan!" cried Bess, fairly jumping from her seat insurprise, "you don't expect to meet her, do you?"
"If I did," said Nan ruefully, "I would get right off this train and goback to Tillbury, much as I have counted on this trip. No, honey," sheadded, laughing at her own extravagance, "there's no need of yourgetting excited, for I have no idea that we shall meet Linda at PalmBeach. Only she has the most disconcerting way of popping up in placeswhere you least expect her."
"Well, all I have to say," returned Bess, biting fiercely into a freshchocolate and wishing it were Linda instead, "is that I wish youwouldn't put such uncomfortable ideas into my head. Here I was justabout forgetting Linda, and you have to lug her into the limelightagain."
Nan laughed merrily and helped herself to another of Bess's chocolateswithout even so much as a "by your leave."
"Cheer up," she said, with a chuckle, "I've done all the 'lugging' I'mgoing to for a little while. And in the meantime," she added, her voicethrilling with anticipation, "let's think of something reallypleasant--Palm Beach, for instance."
"Now you are talking!" cried Bess approvingly. "I have to pinch myselfabout every five minutes to realize that I'm really going there. Iwonder if it is really as gay as people say it is. That's where all theactresses go, you know. And millionaires and authors----"
"And bald-headed business men and fussy, over-dressed women," added Nandemurely, her eyes twinkling at the look of horror that Bess turned uponher.
"Nan, how can you?" Bess burst out, as Nan had fully expected her to do."Bald-headed men, indeed! Do you suppose I have come all this way justto see a lot of old bald-headed men?"
"You haven't come yet," Nan reminded her, her eyes sparkling. "I didn'tsay _all_ the men were bald-headed," she added, in an attempt to sootheher outraged companion. "But dad says most of them are--especially themillionaires."
"Oh, how--how--dreadful!" stuttered Bess. "Why, all the millionaires Iever saw had beautiful, leonine heads with shaggy manes of thick whitehair and strong, clearly cut chins----"
"That's in the movies," Nan interrupted with a chuckle. "Papa Sherwoodsays that if all the men had hair like the movie heroes they would haveto spend all their energy growing it and wouldn't have time to attend totheir brains. And then where would their millions be?"
"Well," said Bess, unable to find an answer to this queer question, yetstill indignant, nevertheless, "you needn't go to work to spoil all myillusions. I don't believe you have a speck of romance anywhere aboutyou, Nan Sherwood."
"Maybe I haven't," Nan admitted cheerfully, without looking theslightest bit worried about it. "But I expect to have lots of fun, justthe same. Oh, Bess, look out!"
Bess, who had stood up to pull down the shade, jumped and looked aboutat Nan wildly.
"What's the matter?" she gasped. "Train on fire?"
"No. But you almost sat on a chocolate," said Nan calmly, as she removedthe large and luscious sweet from Bess's seat. Bess stared at herreproachfully and sank back into the chair.
"You might just as well kill me as scare me to death," she saidreproachfully.
For a while after that the happy girls forgot to talk and sat staringcontentedly out at the flying landscape while the train pounded onheavily over the rails, singing its everlasting "catch 'em up, catch 'emup, catch 'em up."
Then suddenly Bess spoke, taking up the conversation where they had leftit.
"If all we are going to find at Palm Beach is bald men and fussy women,"she said, "I must say I don't see how we are going to have much fun."
"Oh, don't be such a silly," laughed Nan. "Of course we are going tofind something else. There's the ocean and the palm trees. They say thescenery is perfectly gorgeous and the two big hotels wonderful, andthere'll be the crowds and crowds of people. And then we shall meetGrace and Walter----"
"And Walter," repeated Bess teasingly, then laughed at the other girl'squick blush.
"Now I know you are silly," said Nan crossly. "You know you are gladWalter is going to be there."
"Of course I am," admitted Bess with suspicious promptness. "Walter isjolly good fun, especially when he has his _Bargain Rush_ with him. Butlately the rest of us girls--even Grace--have to hang on to hiscoat-tails to keep him from going off alone with you. He doesn't seem toknow there's any one else around. Oh, you don't need to look sosurprised, Miss Innocence," she added, as Nan regarded her withwide-open eyes. "You know it just as well as the rest of us."
"Oh--oh--I never heard of such a thing!" cried Nan, and her amazementwas unfeigned. "I think you are perfectly horrid. Why, Walter has alwaysbeen lovely to all of us. And as to his going off with me alone--why,that's nonsense, and you know it, Bess Harley!" Nan's amazement wasrapidly giving way to indignation. "Walter has never gone off anywherealone with me, never!"
"I know he hasn't," admitted Bess, with a chuckle. "And for a very goodreason. We wouldn't let him."
Nan stared for a minute. Then something surprisingly like tears filledher eyes and she turned quickly to the window.
"I don't think you are nice," she said in a low voice. "If Walter hasbeen any nicer to me than he has to any one else, I surely haven'tnoticed it. And now you've gone and spoiled everything. I won't want togo anywhere with him now just because I will be afraid you girls aresaying silly things. And Walter's such awfully good fun!" The last wasvery much in the nature of a wail, and Bess's heart, which was neververy hard at any time, softened and she slipped over to Nan's chair andput an arm about her chum.
"Move over," she commanded. "It's lucky neither of us is very fat or wecouldn't both sit in one chair. That's right," as Nan obediently "movedover" but still kept her face to the window. "Now say you forgive me forbeing such an old bear. After all, honey," and she patted Nan's shouldersoothingly, "I suppose it isn't your fault if Walter likes you best."
Nan's shoulder moved impatiently.
"But he doesn't," she insisted, staring out of the window. "It isn'tso."
"All right," a
greed Bess soothingly. But it was lucky Nan could not seethe twinkle in her eye. "Have it your own way, Nan. Only stop turningyour back to me. It isn't polite. And, oh!" she added, with a littlesigh, "I'm hungry."
At this sudden and very unromantic change in the subject Nan laughed.And as laughter and ill-temper never go hand in hand, it was not longbefore Nan had forgotten all about Walter--almost.
She produced the lunch box, and for once Bess was too ravenously hungryto protest at the "commonness" of it, and they set to at its deliciouscontents with a will.
It was eight o'clock when they went into the sleeping car, as they hadbeen unable to secure a berth in Tillbury, and had had to telegraphahead to have one reserved on a coach which was attached to the trainfurther along the line.
"This is more like it," said Nan, as they entered the sleeping car."I'll be glad enough to go to bed just as soon as we can see no more ofthe scenery we are passing."
"Who is to take the upper berth, you or I?" demanded her companion.
"Maybe we had better toss up for it," said Nan.
Just then the girls observed a lady on the opposite side of the aisletelling the colored porter not to fix the upper berth at all, that sheand her daughter would both sleep below.
"Let's do that," suggested Nan.
"By all means," answered Bess; and so it was settled.
"Lots o' folks don't use dat dar upper berth," explained the porter ashe fixed the lower bed only. "They leaves it up and dat gives 'em somuch more room to stand up an' dress an' undress."
"It will just suit us," declared Bess.
Soon the berth was ready and a little later the girls retired.
Being together they had thought to have a good "talk-fest," as Besscalled it. But alas! both were so tired out that they fell asleep almostbefore they knew it. And neither woke up until morning, when they wererolling into New York City.
"Gracious; time to get up!" and Nan lost no time in dressing and Bessfollowed her example.
The first part of their momentous journey had come to an end.