In spite of their determination to walk slowly, they covered the ground very quickly and in a few minutes had reached Dorothy's home. "Where's mother?" cried Dorothy as she came upon her sister who was sitting on the back porch.
"She has gone over to Mrs. MacDonald's," Agnes told her.
"Oh, dear," said Dorothy despairingly, "just when I wanted her so very, very much. Will she be gone long, Agnes?"
"I don't know, honey. What is the particular haste? Can I help you out?"
"I'm afraid not," answered Dorothy in a woe-begone voice. "Do you know whether mother has had a letter from Mrs. Ramsey this morning?"
[17] "I don't know that, either. She took her mail and said she would read it while she was driving over. What is it about Mrs. Ramsey, and why are you so interested?"
"We'll explain," replied Dorothy. "You let her read Jennie's letter Edna, and that will tell most of it."
A second time Edna handed over the letter to be read, and when Agnes had finished, she told her about the letter Mrs. Conway had received.
"And so you see," Dorothy took up the tale, "mother is sure to say just what Mrs. Conway did, only I thought we might find out sooner what papa thought if we talked to him over the 'phone."
"I don't see why we can't do that anyhow, and get that much settled," said Agnes. "Suppose I call him up and tell him about it, then when mother comes in we will tell her what he says, for she is pretty sure to have had Mrs. Ramsey's letter."