{{betlep250.png}}

Lucia. Telephone, or get Mother on the line
for me, if you like. I'd love to come."

Betty fancied that there might be some de-
velopment relative to the Sevillas, now com-
fortably settled. But she was mistaken. As the
two girls left the high school building, Betty
with her _Star_ under her arm, Lucia in the
lowest tones told her that she had received a
telegram.

"It was telephoned out to school, addressed to
me at Lyon High, and the office telephoned to
the home room, you know, to have me stop after
school. It isn't signed by anything but an
initial, but it is from my father. It was sent
from New York. Here it is. You can read it
in the car, but don't say a word before the
chauffeur."

"Then your father is coming!" said Betty in
a surprised whisper.

"Yes. I want you, because Mother has been
sick all day, just worn out with all sorts of
things, chiefly late hours and all the things that
are going on. She is really better than she was
yesterday, though. Now she might want me with
her, and I must have somebody there that
knows, so that one of us can be ready to -- oh,
well, with just the butler there he might send

 [[250]]