“Oh yes, for I shall not be at home till then,” returned Elizabeth soberly.
He put down his box to shake hands while she laid aside her pussywillows. Then they parted and Elizabeth, brimming over with excitement, hurried into the house.
CHAPTER XIII
The Studio
ELIZABETH rushed panting into her mother’s presence. “Such an adventure,”—she gasped. “Never in my wildest moments did I ever dream of such a delicious encounter; that I, of all people, should be so highly favored is almost uncomprehensible.”
“If there are any adventures floating around I’ll be bound you will lasso one,” said Kathie, amused at Elizabeth’s manner of announcement. “What are those? Pussywillows, as I live! I didn’t know they were out. Give them to me and I will put them in water; they will be nice for the table.”
But Elizabeth held on to her treasures. “I got them for Miss Jewett,” she said. “You can’t have them, Kathie.”
“Well, I do think you might think of your own home first,” returned Kathie.
“The other girls all have such lovely things to give her,” complained Elizabeth. “Betsy has flowers from the conservatory and Bess has money enough to send to town for any she wants to give, but I have only what I can find myself. I did want to take these because they are the very first and nobody else has thought of them. Do I have to give them up, mother?”
“Let her do as she pleases with them, Kathie,” said Mrs. Hollins. “She has a right to them and you should not interfere with her little innocent plans. What is this about an adventure, Elizabeth?”
“I have met an artist, a real live artist,” she said, sitting up with shining eyes. “It was just after I found the pussywillows. I came across him as he was sitting painting, and, oh mother, he put me in the picture; he really did.”