e?" inquired Aunt Hannah.

"Oh, yes; I'm sure she can," nodded Billy. "You know she went to the
operetta, and this is just the same--only bigger."

"Yes, yes, I know," murmured Aunt Hannah.

"Dear me! How can she get about so on those two wretched little sticks?
She's a perfect marvel to me."

"She is to me, too," sighed Billy, as she hurried from the room.

Billy was, indeed, in a hurry. To herself she said she wanted to get
away--away! And she got away as soon as she could.

She had her plans all made. She would go first to the Greggorys' and
invite them to attend the opera with her that evening. Then she would
get the tickets. Just what she would do with the rest of the day she did
not know. She knew only that she would not go home until time to dress
for dinner and the opera. She did not tell Aunt Hannah this, however,
when she left the house. She planned to telephone it from somewhere down
town, later. She told herself that she _could not_ stay all day under
the sharp eyes of Aunt Hannah--but she managed, nevertheless, to bid
that lady a particularly blithe and bright-faced good-by.

Billy had not been long gone when the telephone bell rang. Aunt Hannah
answered it.

"Why, Bertram, is that you?" she called, in answer to the words that
came to her across the wire. "Why, I hardly knew your voice!"

"Didn't you? Well, is--is Billy there?"

"No, she isn't. She's gone down to see Alice Greggory."

"Oh!" So evident was the disappointment in the voice that Aunt Hannah
added hastily:

"I'm so sorry! She hasn't been gone ten minutes. But--is there any
message?"

"No, thank you. There's no--message." The voice hesitated, then went on
a little constrainedly. "How--how is Billy this morning? She--she's all
right, isn't she?"

Aunt Hannah laughed in obvious amusement.

"Bless your dear heart, yes, my boy! Has it been such a _long_ time
since last evening--when you saw her yourself? Yes, she's all right. In
fact, I was thinking at the breakfast table how pretty she looked with
her pink cheeks and her bright eyes. She seemed to be in such high
spirits."

An inarticulate something that Aunt Hannah could not quite catch
came across the line; then a somewhat hurried "All right. Thank you.
Good-by."

The next time Aunt Hannah was called to the telephone, Billy spoke to
her.

"Aunt Hannah, don't wait luncheon for me, please. I shall get it in
town. And don't expect me till five o'clock. I have some shopping t