Miriam and her party came up.

With a quick glance Miriam's eyes took in the situation. She bowed
courteously to Mrs. Gray, whom she dared not slight; included Grace, Nora
and Jessica in a cool little nod, and stared straight past Anne. Then
turning to her brother she said, "David, show Miss Crosby and her friends
your aëroplane, they wish to see it."

A look of grim determination settled about David's mouth. Looking his
sister squarely in the face, he said, "I am sorry to seem disobliging but
I cannot show your friends my aëroplane and I am surprised to find that
they know I have one."

Miriam reddened at this, but said insolently, "If you can invite other
people to see it, you can show it to us."

There was an uncomfortable silence. Mrs. Gray looked surprised and
annoyed. The peaceful old lady, disliked scenes of any kind. Grace and her
chums, knowing that Miriam was only making herself ridiculous, felt
embarrassed for her. Then Julia Crosby laughed in her tantalizing
irritating way.

That settled the matter as far as David was concerned.

"You are right," he said, "I could show my flying machine to you and your
friends if I cared to do so. However, I don't care to. Knowing that I
wished my experiment to be kept a secret, you came here with the one idea
of being disagreeable, and you have succeeded. I am sorry to be so rude to
my own sister, but occasionally the brutal truth is a good thing for you
to hear, Miriam."