"Probably Wally's letter will tell."

"I hope so. Oh, but, Bess, I didn't hear your news. You must tell
me all about it, my dear."

"I will--when this excitement is over."

Mrs. Kimball received the news calmly--that is, calmly after a first
sharp in-taking of breath and a spasmodic motion toward her heart.
For Jack was very dear to her.

"Well, my dears, we must hope for the best," she said, cheerfully, to
the girls. "Fortunately, his room is in order, which is more than can
be said for it when he went away. Cora, can look up trains, or,
better still, ask the station agent when one might get in from
Exmouth. Probably Walter will bring Jack home as soon as he can.

"It can't be so very serious, or Walter would have so specified in
his telegram. I am anxious to get his letter, however. You might
call up the post-office, Cora, and find out when the next mail gets
in. Then you could go down in your car and get the special. That
will be quicker than waiting for the boy to come up on his bicycle
with it. Often he has half a dozen letters to deliver, and he might
be delayed coming to us."

"I'll do that, Mother. You seem to think of everything!" and Cora
threw her arms about the neck of the gray-haired lady, in whose eyes
there was a troubled look, though neither in voice nor manner did she
betray it.