“Yes, and that’s the way my mother still puts it. Well, well, well, won’t she be pleased when I tell her?”
“She is still living?”
“Yes, but pretty feeble, keeps her room winters altogether. I do wish, Miss Corner, that you could find an opportunity to come to see her. We live up Sebago way; it’s easy getting there. You could take the train to Sebago and I’d meet you, and if you could just set the day. Are you alone here?”
“No, cousin—— Is your name Maria, too?”
“I’m Phebe, Cousin Phebe, if you like. No’m, I’m unmarried; I’m still Phebe Hooper.”
“And I am still Helen Corner. My brother’s widow and her four girls are here with me in Portland.”
“Fetch ’em along if they’d like to come. Come all of you and spend the day. My, my, it’ll be like a breath of summer from the pines to mother. Dear suz, I’m that excited I dunno as I shan’t miss my train. When did you say you’d come?”
Miss Helen thought rapidly. “Where did you say it was?”
“About two miles from Sebago.”
“And that’s on the way to Fryeburg, isn’t it?”