"She is at No. 43 Main Street," the registrar told them.
"That's not a long walk," said Edna. "She has a room on the top floor, Cousin Maria told me; one of those sk-attics, as Lee calls them. I'll venture to say it is as bare as your hand."
They were not long in finding the house, and were directed to the small room.
In answer to their knock, some one said: "Come in."
"I am Edna Waite," said Teddy, as the girl she addressed looked up from her work, "and this is my friend, Miss Janet Ferguson."
The girl pushed her books to one side and came forward. She had wide innocent blue eyes which were red from crying. Her complexion was like a rose leaf, and her soft brown hair curled around her forehead and ears, and was gathered into a heavy coil at the back of her head in a style that was the least becoming to her. She was dressed plainly and in poor taste, her clothes being home-made and ill cut.
"Cousin Maria Purviance told me you were here," said Edna, "and I wanted to meet you."
"Oh, yes, you are Miss Maria's cousin. I am so glad to see you." The girl spoke timidly, and glanced around her little room for an unoccupied chair. There were but two in the room, and one stood behind the table which she had just left.
"I'll sit on the bed or on your trunk," said Janet easily. "They never do give one enough chairs, do they? Half the time some of us have to sit on the floor when we go visiting. It's nice and quiet up here, isn't it? And what a fine view you have. I love to face the western sky." She spoke cheerfully, leaning forward to look out of the one window.
"Yes," said Miss Perkins, taking her chair again after seeing her visitors seated, "it is quiet, almost too quiet sometimes," she added with a wistful little smile.