Apologies could only make the matter worse, so she tried to hide her confusion by passing around the box of candy.

It passed around so many times during the course of the afternoon that the box was almost empty by train-time.
Mary returned to it with unabated interest after the guests were gone.
It was the first box of candy she had ever owned, and she wondered if she would ever have another.
"I believe I'll save it for a keepsake box," she thought, gathering it up in her arms to follow Betty up-stairs.

Rob had come back with them from the station, and, taking the story of "Abdallah," he and Lloyd had gone to the library to read it together.
Betty was going to her room to put the fern-ball to soak, according to directions.

Feeling just a trifle lonely since her parting from Joyce, Mary wandered off to the room that seemed to miss her, too, now that all her personal belongings had disappeared from wardrobe and dressing-table.

But she was soon absorbed in arranging her keepsake box.
Emptying the few remaining scraps of candy into a paper bag, she smoothed out the lace paper, the ribbons, and the tinfoil to save to show to Hazel Lee.