"Oh, Mother," began Edna, "did you get a letter from Mrs. Ramsey?"
"Mrs. Ramsay? Why, I don't know. I will see in a moment. Just wait till I have finished this from your Aunt Kitty."
It seemed incredible to Edna that any letter should be of more importance than Mrs. Ramsey's, and the two little girls danced around so impatiently that Mrs. Conway finally put down the sheet she was reading and said, "How warm you children look. Do sit down and cool off. I never saw such little fidgets."
"We ran all the way from the oak tree," explained Edna. "We were in such a hurry."
"No wonder your faces are red. You are such an impetuous little somebody, Edna. You shouldn't forget that mother has so often told you not to run in the hot sun."
"But we did so want to hear about Mrs. Ramsey's letter," replied Edna anxiously. How could her mother take things so coolly?
[14] "Is it so very important, then?"
"Oh, Mother, it is so exciting we can scarcely stand it till we know."
"Then there is nothing to do but relieve the strain," said Mrs. Conway laughing. She turned over the letters at her side. "Let me see. This is from the dressmaker, and this one from cousin Grace. This must be it." She opened the letter with what seemed to the children a great lack of haste, and began to scan the lines, two pairs of eager eyes watching her the while. "Ah, now I begin to understand," she remarked as she turned the page.
"Well," said Edna breathlessly.