'I am afraid you will think us rather mad,' he began, 'but the Babe's letter put us all on our mettle; and we thought--that is, some of us thought she ought to be rescued. Of course, we hadn't seen you then,' he added desperately. Any apology for the rescue party certainly involved the most unflattering insinuations about his hostess; and Egbert in his confusion thought exceedingly bitter things about Kit and Peter, who had dragged him against his will on this wild adventure.
'It was awfully nice of you to think of me,' murmured Barbara, but her tone was not so enthusiastic as it might have been. If only Finny would stop being so obliging about it, she was sure she would find it so much easier to run away.
'Exceedingly nice!' echoed Miss Finlayson, warmly. 'I am only sorry there should be this delay in carrying out your plan. However, that is no reason why we should not have something to eat, while Barbara is making up her mind. It must be nearly midnight, and I am starving. Will one of you come and help me to forage?
Egbert volunteered, with a feeling of relief at having something to do; and he followed her out of the room. The moment the door closed, the children's tongues were loosed.
'Dear, dear Babs,' cried Robin, dancing round her gleefully; 'you will come away from the horrid, cross old thing, won't you?'
'Finny isn't cross, Bobbin; it's the others,' remonstrated Babs.
'Why, of course you're coming, aren't you?' said Peter, who was impatient to have done with this inaction and to carry out the glorious rescue they had planned. The worst of it was that half its gloriousness seemed to have subsided before the pleasant manners of the head-mistress.
'I should think she was coming, indeed!' declared Wilfred. 'You don't suppose I'm going to lose two hours of bed for nothing, do you?'
Christopher, who had been silently observing Barbara all the while, shook his head slowly. 'She won't come,' he said gruffly. 'They've made her different already.'
A vague feeling of uneasiness crept over Barbara. Kit was always right; _was_ she different already? She gave herself an involuntary shake. 'Never mind about me!' she exclaimed. 'Tell me about Crofts, and what you've been doing since I left, and----everything. Do you mean to say your cold is better already, Kit?'