“But it is not nice. Wednesday, you said, Mr. Endicott was going. I will send you over some help to get the furniture and the books out, and on Thursday the man shall come to do it. It will not take long.”
“We can do the removing, please;” and Fan smiled archly.
“If you are saucy I will come myself. Here is a basket of pears. I suppose I dare not ask you to visit me until you have all your fortune spent, and are bankrupt.”
“You will be very good to take us in then,” I answered.
“I can make allowance for the pernicious influence of wealth;” she returned gaily.
She was as good as her word. The coachman come over to help us lift, he said. One end of the room and one side of the chimney had been put in book-shelves. Mrs. Whitcomb thoughtfully made out a list so we could tell where they belonged.
The paper and the man were according to promise. The first was a delicate French gray with quite wide, rich bordering that gave the room the effect of being frescoed. It was as pretty as a picture. When the carpet was down, and the chair came home, which it did, Saturday noon, we were happy as larks.
But the best of all was mamma and the baby. We kissed them and cried over them a little out of pure joy. The old tired look had gone out of mamma’s sweet face, and her voice was bright and cheery. And, oh, how surprised and pleased they both were! Papa declared that it was as good as a Christmas feast.
It was only a little after all. Some of the ladies in town spent as much on one dress and then were dissatisfied. I begin to think it is a rare art to get a good deal of happiness out of a small amount of material. When you work for it yourself it does seem sweeter, if the work is not too hard. Hunger is a good thing if one does not pass the point of appetite, and faint.
Mamma thought we had accomplished wonders. Truly the pictures did look better on the new paper, and the bright border gave a glow and richness. The carpet proved just the thing. Papa called it his Castle of Indolence, because it had such a dreamy, comfortable appearance.