Mollie and Grace had been out in a boat all morning with some new friends they had made at the hotel. As Ruth walked toward them she noticed that Mollie's cheeks were very red, and that she wore a look of suppressed excitement. Grace seemed almost equally agitated. Before she could reach them, however, she was hailed by a crowd of young people who were strolling on the beach, and she and Bab were obliged to stop and hold conversation.
Mollie felt that it was imperative to summon Bab and Ruth. How could she manage without being observed? A sudden thought came to her. Putting her hand back to her curls she hastily untied the ribbon that bound them. The ribbon was blue. In an instant Mollie twisted it into a bow knot and pinned it on her left shoulder. Would Barbara and Ruth remember what the secret signal meant?
Mollie need not have wondered. Hastily separating themselves from the crowd of talkers Bab and Ruth sped up the beach to join Mollie and Grace.
"What is it, Mollie?" cried Bab out of breath. "I remember the blue ribbon. It was to signify: 'I have important news to communicate!' What has happened?"
"As we passed the countess's villa on the launch, this morning," Mollie whispered mysteriously, "we saw a red flag tied to one of the posts of her pavilion. The countess wishes to see us on important business!"
"Shall we go to the countess at once, Ruth?" asked Barbara.
Ruth hesitated. "The chauffeur has gone away for the day," she replied. "And we have no one to take us by boat to the villa."
Mollie's blue eyes filled with tears. She had feared that Ruth suspected their lovely countess. Now she was sure of it. How absurd for Ruth to suggest they could not use the automobile because her chauffeur was away. The "Automobile Girls" had traveled for days at a time, with Ruth as her own chauffeur, while the trip to the countess's villa represented only a few miles.
"How can you be so cruel, Ruth?" Mollie cried. "You just don't want to go to the countess's aid because you have listened to tales about her from that horrid Mrs. Smythe."
"I haven't listened to Mrs. Smythe, Mollie," Ruth answered soothingly. "But I have been thinking. You can't deny that there is a good deal of mystery surrounding the Countess Sophia. There are many things that it seems to me she might explain. I don't wish to be hateful, and of course I can drive our car over to the countess's, though I have never taken out such a big car alone before. Come; let's get ready."