“Not very often,” returned Marilla half ashamed and almost afraid the baby would break the strap. 164
After a few days she began to get quite acquainted with some of the girls. They came from various places and were quite ready to talk about themselves. There was to be a lawn party next week at the Sheldon’s, just for the girls, and they were going to dance.
“Oh, did you ever go to a ball?” asked Marilla.
“Why, girls don’t go to balls! They are for the big folks. My grown up sister does and they’re just splendid.”
She had half a mind to tell them about the beautiful dream and how she had danced with the Prince. But Pansy was going on at such a rate that she pushed the carriage along and by the time they reached home she had forgotten her trouble.
And there was a letter from Dr. Richards.
She wanted to kiss it, she was so glad, but Mrs. Borden stood there, so she simply said—“Thank you,” and opened it.
It was quite to a child’s capacity. Marilla smiled in some places, looked sad in others. The little boy who had been so dreadfully injured by an automobile had died, but he would have been a terrible cripple if he had 165 lived. There had been two very hot weeks and the poor babies had suffered. He was very glad to hear that the twins were doing so nicely, and had all their teeth safe and sound. And was she growing stronger, and did she have a chance to take the baths he advised? Miss Armitage was having a fine time. And a friend was to take them in his yacht around the islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and come down to Nova Scotia, so she wouldn’t be home as soon as they expected. And he was so busy he couldn’t have any vacation at all; but then he had taken years before and must be satisfied.
There were bits of fun and queer sayings interspersed that made a sort of jolliness in her face.
“Don’t you want to read it?” she asked, rather timidly.