CHAPTER VII
MOLLIE'S TEMPTATION
The next morning the "Automobile Girls" were sitting in the library ofMr. Hamlin's home. Ruth, Mollie and Grace were there, for Peter and Babhad secured their release from the Alexandria jail.
"But how do you think he ever accomplished it?" Mollie inquired.
Harriet laughed and flushed. "Oh, Peter accomplished it in the same wayhe does everything else--by making friends with people," she declared."Girls, I hope you realize how ashamed I am of last night's proceedings.I never dreamed that anything had happened to you, or I should havecertainly forced Charlie Meyers to turn back. But I think I have learneda lesson. Charlie Meyers was horribly rude to you, Bab, and I told himwhat we thought of him after you left. I don't want to see him again. SoFather, at least, will be glad. Though how I am to get on in this worldwithout a husband with money, I don't know." And Harriet sighed.
"Still I would like to have my questions answered," Mollie repeated. "Howdid Peter Dillon get us away from that wretched jail in such a shorttime when we thought we might have to stay there all night?"
"Why, he just found the justice of the peace, arranged about Ruth's fine,mentioned Mr. Hamlin's name and did a few more things," Bab laughed. "So,at last, you were permitted to come home."
"Poor Hugh and Elmer were so mortified at not having enough money withthem to pay the fine. It was just an accident. Yet it was truly myfault," Ruth argued. "Father has always insisted that I take mypocket-book whenever I go out of the house. But, of course, I forgot ityesterday."
"Will Uncle Robert be very angry with you, Ruth, for being arrested?"Harriet asked. "He need never find out anything about it. Your finewasn't so very large, and you always have money enough to pay foranything."
Ruth laughed. "Oh, I always tell Father every thing! I don't thinkhe will be very angry with me, when he hears how we happened to getinto trouble."
"Do you really tell your father everything?" Harriet asked, in asurprised tone.
"Why, yes; why not?" Ruth questioned.
Harriet shook her head. "Well, I do not tell my father all my affairs.Oh, dear me, no!"
"I suppose I shall have to go back to Alexandria to-day, and appear atcourt," Ruth lamented. "I just dread it."
"Oh, no you won't," Bab explained. "Mr. Dillon said he would talk mattersover with Mr. Hamlin, and that he had some influential friends overthere. You will have to pay your fine, Ruth, but you probably will nothave to appear at the trial. They will settle it privately."
"Girls," exclaimed Harriet, "I forgot to tell you something. There is abig reception at the White House to-morrow evening, and Father says hewishes to take the 'Automobile Girls' to present them to the President."
"How exciting!" exclaimed Grace Carter. "To think that the 'AutomobileGirls' are going to meet the President, and yet you speak of it ascalmly, Harriet Hamlin, as though it were an everyday affair."
"Oh, nonsense, Grace," Harriet begged. "It will be fun to go to theWhite House with you. You girls are so interested in everything. But aWhite House reception is an old story to me, and I am afraid there willbe a frightful crowd. But which one of you will go shopping with methis morning?"
"I will," cried Mollie. "I'd dearly love to see the shops. We don't haveany big stores in Kingsbridge."
"Is there anything I can get for you, girls?" Harriet asked.
Ruth called her cousin over in the corner. "Will you please order flowersfor us to-morrow night!" Ruth requested. "Father told me to be sure toget flowers whenever we wanted them."
"Lucky Ruth!" sighed Harriet. "I wish I had such a rich and generousfather as you have!"
"What can we wear to the President's reception to-morrow, Bab?" Molliewhispered in her sister's ear, while Harriet and Ruth were having theirconference.
Bab thought for a moment. "You can wear the corn-colored frock you woreto dinner with the Princess Sophia at Palm Beach. It is awfully pretty,and you have never worn it since."
"That old thing!" cried Mollie, pouting.
"Suppose you get some pale yellow ribbons, Mollie, and I will make you anew sash and a bow for your hair," Bab suggested.
Pretty Mollie frowned. "All right," she agreed.
Harriet and Mollie did not go at once to the shops. They drove first toHarriet's dressmaker, the most fashionable in Washington.
"I must try on a little frock," Harriet explained. "We can do ourshopping afterwards. I want you to see a beautiful coat I am having made,from a Chinese crepe shawl the Chinese Minister's wife gave me."
Madame Louise, the head of the dressmaking establishment, came in toattend to Harriet. The new coat was in a wonderful shade of apricot,lined with satin and embroidered in nearly every color of silk.
"Oh, Harriet, how lovely!" Mollie exclaimed.
"Yes, isn't it?" Harriet agreed. "But I really ought not to have had thiscoat made up. It has cost almost as much as though I had bought itoutright. And I don't need it. I hope you have not made my dress veryexpensive, Madame. I told you to get me up a simple frock."
"Ah, but Miss Hamlin, the simple frocks cost as much as the fancy ones,"argued the dressmaker. "This little gown is made of the best satin andlace. But how charming is the effect."
Mollie echoed the dressmaker's verdict as she gazed at Harriet withadmiring eyes. Harriet's gown was white satin. Her black hair and greatdusky eyes looked darker from the contrast and her skin even morestartlingly fair.
Harriet could not help a little smile of vanity as she saw herself in thelong mirror in the fitting room.
"Be sure to send these things home by to-morrow, Madame Louise," shedemanded. "Father and I are going to take our guests to one of thePresident's receptions and I want to wear this gown."
Mollie gave a little impatient sigh.
"What is the matter, Mollie?" inquired Harriet, seeing that her littlefriend looked tired and unhappy. "I am awfully sorry to have kept youwaiting like this. It is a bore to watch other people try on theirclothes. I will come with you directly."
"Oh, I am not tired watching you, Harriet," pretty Mollie answeredtruthfully. "I was only wishing I had such a beautiful frock to wear tothe reception to-morrow."
Madame Louise clapped her hands. "Wait a minute, young ladies. I havesomething to show you. You must wait, for it is most beautiful." Thedressmaker turned and whispered to one of her girl assistants. The girlwent out and came back in a few minutes with another frock over her arm.
Mollie gave a deep sigh of admiration.
"How exquisite!" Harriet exclaimed. "Whose dress is that, Madame? Itlooks like clouds or sea foam, or anything else that is delicatelybeautiful."
Madame shook out a delicate pale blue silk, covered with an even lightertint of blue chiffon, which shaded gently into white.
"This dress was an order, Miss Hamlin," Madame Louise explained. "I sentto Paris for it. Of course it was some time before it arrived inWashington. In the meanwhile a death occurred in the family of the youngwoman who had ordered the dress. She is now in mourning, and she left thedress with me to sell for her. She is willing to let it go at a greatbargain. The little frock would just about fit your young friend. Wouldshe not be beautiful in it, with her pale yellow hair and her blue eyes?Ah, the frock looks as though it had been created for her! Do you thinkshe would allow me to try it on her?"
"Do slip the frock on, Mollie," Harriet urged. "It will not take muchtime. And I would dearly love to see you in such a gown. It is thesweetest thing I ever saw."
Mollie shook her head. "It is not worth while for me to put it on,Harriet. Madame must understand that I cannot possibly buy it."
"But the frock is such a bargain, Mademoiselle," the dressmakercontinued. "I will sell it to you for a mere song."
"But I haven't the song to pay for it, Madame," Mollie laughed. "Come on,Harriet. We must be going."
"Of course you can't buy the dress, Mollie," Harriet interposed. "ButMadame will not mind your just slipping into it. Try it on, just for mysake. I know you
will look like a perfect dream."
Mollie could not refuse Harriet's request.
"Shut your eyes, Mollie, while Madame dresses you up," Harriet proposed.
Mollie shut her eyes tightly.
Madame Louise slipped on the gown. "It fits to perfection," she whisperedto Harriet. Then the dressmaker, who was really an artist in her line,picked up Mollie's bunch of soft yellow curls and knotted them carelesslyon top of Mollie's dainty head. She twisted a piece of the pale blueshaded chiffon into a bandeau around her gold hair.
"Now, look at yourself, Mademoiselle," she cried in triumph.
"Mollie, Mollie, you are the prettiest thing in the world!" Harrietexclaimed.
Mollie gave a little gasp of astonishment when she beheld herself in themirror. Certainly she looked like Cinderella after the latter had beentouched with the fairy wand. She stood regarding herself with wide openeyes of astonishment, and cheeks in which the rose flush deepened.
"The dress must belong to Mademoiselle! I could not have made such a fitif I had tried," repeated the dressmaker.
"How much is the dress worth, Madame?" Harriet queried.
"Worth? It is worth one hundred and fifty dollars! But I will give thelittle frock away for fifty," the dressmaker answered.
"Can't you possibly buy it, child?" Harriet pleaded with Mollie. "It is aperfectly wonderful bargain, and you are too lovely in it. I just can'tbear to have you refuse it."
"I am sorry, Harriet," Mollie returned firmly. "But I have not the money.Won't you please take the gown off me, Madame!"
"Your friend can take the frock from me now and pay me later. It does notmatter," said the dressmaker. "She can write home for the money."
For one foolish moment Mollie did dream that she might write to hermother for the price of this darling blue frock. Mollie was sure she hadnever desired anything so keenly in her life. But in a moment Mollie cameto her senses. Where would her mother get such a large sum of money tosend her? It had been hard work for Mrs. Thurston to allow Barbara andMollie the slight expenses of their trip to Washington. No; the prettygown was impossible!
"Do unbutton the gown for me, please, Harriet," Mollie entreated. "Ireally can't buy it." Mollie felt deeply embarrassed, and was sorry shehad allowed herself to be persuaded into trying on the gown.
"Mollie!" exclaimed Harriet suddenly. "Don't you have a monthlyallowance?"
Mollie nodded her head. Silly Mollie hoped Harriet would not ask her justwhat her allowance was. For Mrs. Thurston could give her daughters onlyfive dollars a month apiece for their pin money.
"Then I know just what to do," Harriet declared. "You must just buy thisfrock, Mollie dear. I expect to have a dividend from some stock I own,and when it comes in, I shall pay Madame for the dress, and you can payme back as it suits you. Do please consent, Mollie. Just look at yourselfin the glass once more and I know you can't resist my plan."
Mollie did take one more peep at herself in the mirror. But if she hadonly had more time to think, and Harriet and the dressmaker had notargued the point with her, she would never have fallen before hertemptation.
"You are sure you won't mind how long I take to pay you back, Harriet?"Mollie inquired weakly.
"Sure!" Harriet answered.
"All right then; I will take it," Mollie agreed in a sudden rush ofrecklessness, feeling dreadfully excited. For little Mollie Thurston hadnever owned a gown in her life that had cost more than fifteen dollars,except the two or three frocks which had been given to her on differentoccasions.
"Madame, you will send Miss Thurston's gown with mine, so she can wear itto the White House reception," Harriet insisted.
"Certainly; I shall send the frocks this evening," the dressmaker agreed,suavely. "But are you sure you will be in? I want you to be at home whenthe frocks arrive."
Several other customers had entered Madame Louise's establishment.
Harriet Hamlin flushed at the dressmaker's question. But she repliedcarelessly: "Oh, yes; I shall be in all the afternoon. You can send themat any time you like."
Before Mollie and Harriet had gotten out into the street, Mollie clutchedHarriet's arm in swift remorse. "Oh, Harriet, dear, I have done aperfectly awful thing! I must go back and tell Madame that I cannot takethat gown. I don't see how I could have said I would take it. Why, itwill take me ages to pay you so much money!" Mollie's eyes were big andfrightened. Her lips were trembling.
"Sh-sh! You silly child!" Harriet protested. "Here comes Mrs. Wilson. Youcan't go to tell Madame Louise you have changed your mind before so manypeople. And what is the use of worrying over such a small debt? The dresswas a wonderful bargain. You would be a goose not to buy it."
Now, because Harriet was older than Mollie, and Mollie thought her verybeautiful and well trained in all the graces of society, foolish littleMollie allowed herself to be silenced, and so made endless trouble forherself and for the people who loved her.
"Don't tell Barbara about my buying the frock, Harriet," Molliepleaded, as the two girls went up the steps of the Hamlin home, a shorttime before luncheon. "I would rather tell Bab about it myself, when Iget a chance."
"Oh, I won't tell. You may count on me," promised Harriet, in sympathetictones. "Will Bab be very cross!"
"Oh, not exactly that," Mollie hesitated. "But I am afraid she will beworried. I am glad we are at home. I want to lie down, I feel so tired."
Not long after Harriet and Mollie had started off on their shoppingexpedition, Bab came across from her room into Ruth's.
"Ruth, do you think I could telephone Mr. Dillon?" she asked. "I pickedup a piece of paper that he dropped in the garden yesterday, and Iforgot to return it to him."
"Give it to me, child. I told you yesterday that I did not wish you togrow to be an intimate friend of that man. But I am writing him a note tothank him for his kindness to us last night. I can just put your paper inmy letter and explain matters to him."
Bab carelessly tossed the sheet of paper on Ruth's desk. It opened, andRuth cried out in astonishment. "Oh, Bab, how queer! This note is writtenin Chinese characters. What do you suppose Peter Dillon is doing with aletter written in Chinese?"
"I don't know I am sure, Ruth," Bab demurred. "It is none of ourbusiness."
"Did you get the yellow ribbon, Mollie?" Barbara asked her sister, twohours later, when Mollie and Harriet came in from their shopping. "I havebeen fixing up your dress all morning. It is awfully pretty. Now I wantto make the sash."
"I did not get any ribbons, Bab." Mollie answered peevishly. "I told youI would not wear that old yellow dress."
Automobile Girls at Washington; Or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Page 7