Mother carried Peter inside.
His foot was bleeding, and his face was pale.
Dr. Forest bandaged his foot.
Bobbie whispered to the doctor.
"He won't be lame, or have to use crutches forever, will he?"
The doctor told her not to worry.
Over the next week, Peter rested and Phyllis played in the garden.
Meanwhile Bobbie thought about Father.
Why was he still away?
Was there something that Mother wasn't telling them?
The answer to Bobbie's questions came the next day.
She went to the station to get magazines for Peter.
They were old magazines that people had left on trains or in the waiting room.
Perks said the children could have them.
"I'll put some newspaper and string around the magazines to keep them together," Perks said.
He took an old newspaper from the pile and wrapped up the magazines.
On the way home, Bobbie stopped at the train crossing as a train went past.
Bobbie rested the parcel on the crossing gate.
She looked down at the newspaper on top and started to read a headline and . . .
It was like a horrible dream.
Bobbie ran home, went to her room, and locked the door.
Inside her room Bobbie took out the newspaper again.
The front page said:
Five Years in Prison for Spy!
And the name of the "spy" was her father.
"So now I know," she whispered to herself.
Then Bobbie had to eat dinner and pretend that nothing was wrong.
She tried, but she wasn't very successful.
Her eyes were red from crying.
"Is anything wrong?" Mother asked her.
"I'm all right," Bobbie said.
After dinner Mother went to Bobbie's room.
"What's the matter?" she wanted to know.
Bobbie showed her mother the newspaper.
"Oh, Bobbie!" cried Mother.
"You don't believe it, do you?
You don't think Daddy is a spy!"
"No!" Bobbie said.
"He's good and honest and he has done nothing wrong," said Mother.
"We must remember that."
"What happened?" asked Bobbie.
"Do you remember those two men who came to see Father?" said Mother.
"Well, they said he was a spy, and that he'd sold government secrets to another country.
There were some letters in Daddy's desk at his office.
When the police saw them, they were sure Daddy was a spy."
"But why were the letters in his desk?" asked Bobbie.
"Somebody put them there," replied Mother, "and that person is the real spy."
"Who?" asked Bobbie.
"We don't know."
"Can't you explain that Daddy is not a spy to the police?" said Bobbie.
"We tried, but they won't listen," said Mother sadly.
"I've tried everything.
All we can do is wait.
Now we can't talk about this anymore, and we can't tell Peter or Phyllis.
Please be brave, Bobbie."
Bobbie had to try to help Father somehow.
She wrote a letter to the old gentleman.
He had helped them before—maybe he could help them again.
Dear Friend,
Please read the newspaper.
The story is about our father, but it is not true.
Mother says someone put the letters in Father's desk, but nobody listens to her.
You are good and clever.
Can you find the real spy?
Peter and Phyllis don't know Father is in prison.
Please help me.
With love from your friend, Bobbie
Bobbie tore the first page from the newspaper and put it in the envelope with her letter.
She asked the stationmaster to please give it to the old gentleman the next morning.
Now all she could do was wait.
Would the old gentleman help her family again?