Both girls were dressed identically, having taken their cue from Pip in the matter of appropriate clothes for playing detective in a dark alley. They wore black skirts and sweaters, black stockings and black shoes. They carried black gloves and black scarves. The scarf was necessary for Amy to cover her bright, blond hair, and Peggy thought it was a good idea for her to take one, too, as a face covering. Neither wore any jewelry at all, so there would be nothing to rattle or jingle or catch the light.
"If we're not back by morning," Peggy said wryly, "send out the bloodhounds for us."
"I'm waiting up for you," Greta said. "And if you're not back by one-thirty, the first bloodhound to pick up your trail is going to be me. With an appropriate police escort," she added.
"Don't worry," Peggy said. "We'll be all right. Just wish us luck, and we'll be on our way."
"All right, then. Good luck," Greta said, opening the door for them. "I just hope the police don't pick you up, for looking like suspicious characters."
Peggy and Amy left, feeling a little foolish about their costumes, but after walking for a block or two, they realized that nobody was even looking at them.
"That's the wonderful thing about New York," Peggy said. "You can wear anything, or do anything, and nobody seems to care as long as you don't disturb the peace."
Amy nodded in agreement. "The other day I noticed a man with a beard down to his waist. He was wearing a long Biblical-looking white robe and a pair of sandals, and nobody on the street was paying the least bit of attention to him. Just try to picture him passing unnoticed in Pine Hollow or in Rockport!"
"Just try to picture us passing unnoticed in Pine Hollow or in Rockport!" Peggy laughed. "We'd probably have a crowd of people and barking dogs and small boys throwing stones by now!"
The driver scarcely glanced at them as they boarded a bus.
"I suppose it's nice to know that nobody bothers about you in New York," Peggy said when they were seated, "but in a way it's kind of scary. I mean, supposing something were to happen to us, do you think that anyone would even notice it if we screamed?"
Amy shivered. "I know what you mean," she said. "I suppose a lot of people would notice it, and then they'd just put it out of their minds and do nothing about it. They'd just figure it was none of their business, after all, and go right on doing what they were doing."