“She had a headache, as I told you, but she seemed glad to get rid of some of her secrets, and I don’t wonder,” admitted Nancy. “She has enough secrets to make a book. But I told her _I_ wasn’t going to keep any more of them. I told her I was going to tell _you_ everything she told _me_.”
“Goody for you!” chanted Rosa. “And go ahead--tell.”
“Well, she asked me not to tell you when she had been here one night,” began Nancy, taking another chair for a fresh start in the narrative. “I didn’t then, as it couldn’t make much difference--”
“She came through the hall the night the things came from Boston,” went on Nancy. “And I might just as well tell you all about it.”
“Yes. I was standing right over there trying on the blue cape--”
“You don’t. I know now. That cape was intended for you and I’m a greedy thing to have grabbed it. Of course, _you_ wouldn’t even hint--”
Nancy was a little confused now. She had never expected the blue cape issue to come up again. But Rosa was positive and would not listen to Nancy’s protests.
“But, Rosa,” Nancy insisted, “Betty said she would love to get things for you if you would only let her. And surely, when you admired the cape--”
“Oh, yes, I know. You being Nancy, and all that,” said Rosa, meaningly. “Well, _I’ll_ forgive you. You did succeed in getting me to listen to reason and now I’ll try to be civil to Betty.”
“You would have been, anyhow,” said Nancy. “Because you were bound to be more reasonable--”
“I’m not trying to compliment you, little dear, so don’t try so desperately hard to shut me off. But all the same, look--look at my figger! Ain’t it just grand!” and Rosa strutted again before the patient mirror making sure doubly sure that she was quite genteel.
“I suppose you’ll think I’m complimenting you if I tell you how well you look,” retorted Nancy. “But I’m sure you have gone down twenty pounds!”
“And a half,” flashed Rosa. “Twenty and one-half pounds less, and my clothes are falling off me. Won’t dad and Betty howl?”
“But you’ve got to keep up your walking, your tennis and non-candy schedule,” Nancy reminded her. “Don’t forget that. All right, don’t answer, please, I have heaps more to tell you about Orilla and we’re miles off the track.”