“What about Allen, honey?” she asked, her blue eyes honestly worried.  “We all missed him so, but we didn’t like to say too much for fear—­ for fear——­”

“He’s all right,” said Betty, her heart glowing again at thought of the little note hidden away in her pocket.  “He has only been delayed a little, that’s all.  Will says he will probably be over on the next transport.”

“Oh, I am relieved,” said Grace with such fervor that Betty looked at her quickly.  Could it be, she wondered, that what she had half sensed before could be really true?  Was Grace fond of Allen?  But because the idea made her unhappy, she decided that she was just trying to think up trouble and dismissed it from her mind.  All the girls loved Allen of course—­ who could help it?—­ but they couldn’t any of them, she told herself fiercely, care for him the way she did.

“Well, what are you thinking about?  You needn’t look so fierce,” she heard Grace saying, and she forced a smile to her face.

“I’m not looking fierce,” Betty answered gayly.  “Don’t you know that that is just my natural expression, Gracie dear?  That’s the way I make little girls like you afraid of me.”

“Well, I’m not afraid of you, not one little bit,” asserted Grace, squeezing Betty’s arm fondly.  “Oh, Betty dear, isn’t it wonderful having the boys back and don’t they look fine—­ especially Will?”

“Don’t they?  Especially Will,” agreed Betty with a sly little glance.  “If you don’t look out you will give the impression that you’re rather fond of that worthless old brother of yours, honey.”

“I love him awfully,” replied Grace, adding with a little puckering of her forehead:  “But I am going to tell you something, Betty, that I wouldn’t tell to any one else for the world.  I’m jealous, actually jealous! of Amy.”

Betty gave a merry little laugh and slipped an arm about her chum.

“Gracie dear, we never would have known that if you hadn’t told us,” she said dryly, “Don’t, you know,” as Grace looked at her reproachfully, “that we have all been perfectly well aware of that ever since Will first began to make eyes at Amy?”

“I can’t help it,” Grace retorted, while sudden tears sprang to her eyes.  “I’ve known him longer than she has, and we’ve loved each other ever since he was two and I was two weeks!  Did you see the way he looked at her?” she finished dolefully.

“Yes.  But of course you couldn’t see the way he looked at you,” said Betty quickly.  “And I did.”

“Oh, did he look glad to see me?  Did he?” demanded Grace with pathetic eagerness.

“Of course he did, you little goose,” said Betty, adding with a chuckle:  “You’ve been spoiled, that’s all.  You’ve been so used to being the only pebble on the beach, dear, that you can’t be content with being just one of two.”

By this time they had reached the lodge and were greeted noisily by the others, who had already seated themselves on the porch as though they intended to stay all day.