"But haven't you any money?" cried Amy.

"Not one cent. I shall have to hurry back to the parish house and beg some of Momsy."

"And leave me here?" demanded Amy. "Never!"

"How will you fix it, then?" asked Jessie, who was really disturbed and could not enjoy her sundae.

"Oh, don't let that nice treat go to waste, Jess."

"It does not taste nice to me if we can't pay for it."

"Don't be foolish. Leave it to me," said Amy, getting on her feet.

"I'll speak to the clerk. He's nice looking and wears his hair slicked back like patent leather. Lo-o-vely hair."

"Amy Drew! Behave!"

"I am. I am behaving right up, I tell you. I am sure I can make that clerk chalk the amount down until we come in again."

"I would be shamed to death," Jessie declared, her face flushing almost angrily, for sometimes Amy did try her. "I will not hear of your doing that. You sit down here and wait till I run back to the church----"

"Oh, you won't have to," interrupted Amy. "Here come some of the girls. We can borrow----"

But the girl who headed the little group just then entering the door of the Dainties Shop was Belle Ringold. The three who followed Belle were her particular friends. Jessie did not feel that she wanted to borrow money of Belle or her friends.

CHAPTER XII

THE GLORIOUS FOURTH

"Never mind," whispered Amy Drew quickly, quite understanding her chum's feelings regarding Belle and her group. "I'll ask them. It's my fault, anyway. And I only meant it for a joke----"

"A pretty poor joke, Amy," Jessie said, with some sharpness. "And I don't want you to borrow of them. I'll run back to the church."

She started to leave the Dainties Shop. Sally Moon, who was just behind Belle Ringold, halted Jessie with a firm grasp on her sleeve.

"Don't run away just because we came in, Jess," she said.

"I'm coming right back," Jessie Norwood explained. "Don't keep me."

"Where you going, Jess?" drawled another of the group.

"I've got to run back to the church to speak to mother for a moment."

"Your mother's not there," broke in Belle. "She was leaving in her flivver when we came away. The committee's broken up and the parish house door is locked."

"Oh, no!" murmured Jessie, a good deal appalled.

"Don't I tell you _yes_?" snapped Belle. "Don't you believe me?"

"Of course I believe what you say, Belle," Jessie rejoined politely.

"I only said 'Oh, no!' because I was startled."

"What scared you?" demanded Belle, curiously.

"Why, I--I'm not scared----"

"It is none of your business, Belle Ringold," put in Amy. "Don't annoy her. Here, Jessie, I'll----"

The clerk who waited on them had come to the table and placed a punched ticket for the sundaes on it. He evidently expected to be paid by the two girls. The other four were noisily grouping themselves about another table. Belle Ringold said:

"Give Nick your orders, girls. This is on me. I want a banana royal, Nick. Hurry up."

The young fellow with the "patent leather" hair still lingered by the table where Jessie and Amy had sat. Belle turned around to stare at the two guilty-looking chums. She sneered.

"What's the matter with you and Jess, Amy Drew? Were you trying to slip out without paying Nick? I shouldn't wonder!"

"Oh!" gasped Jessie, flushing and then paling.

But Amy burst out laughing. It was a fact that Amy Drew often saw humor where her chum could not spy anything in the least laughable.

With the clerk waiting and these four girls, more than a little unfriendly, ready to make unkind remarks if they but knew the truth----

What should she do? Jessie looked around wildly. Amy clung to a chair and laughed, and laughed. Her chum desired greatly to have the floor of the New Melford Dainties Shop open at her feet and swallow her!

"What's the matter with you, Amy Drew? You crazy?" demanded Belle.

"I--I----" Amy could get no farther. She weaved back and forth, utterly hysterical.

"If you young ladies will pay me, please," stammered the clerk, wondering. "I'd like to wait on these other customers."

"I want my banana royal, Nick," cried Belle.

The other three girls gave their orders. The clerk looked from the laughing Amy to the trembling Jessie. He was about to reiterate his demand for payment.

And just then Heaven sent an angel! Two, in very truth! At least, so it seemed to Jessie Norwood.

"Darry!" she almost squealed. "And Burd Alling! We--we thought you were at Atlantic Highlands."

The two young fellows came hurrying into the shop. They had evidently seen the girls from outside. Darry grabbed his sister and sat her down at a table. He grinned widely, bowing to Belle and her crowd.

"Come on, Jessie!" he commanded. "No matter how many George Washington sundaes you kids have eaten----"

"'Kids'! Indeed! I like that!" exploded Amy.

But her brother swept on, ignoring her objection: "No matter how many you have eaten, there is always room for one more. You and Amy, Jessie, must have another sundae on me."