Christina flung down her book and dashed out of the room. Down the back stairs she tore, through the kitchen and out to the yard door. She was so eager, so delighted, that she threw her arms round Susy and kissed and hugged her.
"Oh, I've been waiting for you years!" she exclaimed. "Come up to the schoolroom with me. Come at once."
She dragged the not unwilling Susy upstairs as fast as she had gone down them, and made her sit in Miss Loder's easy chair by the fire.
"Now tell me all you've been doing. Are you still driving your cart, and is your father still half asleep? Oh, I've thought of you so much, and I've got such a lot of things to give you!"
Susy looked a little dazed and uncomfortable. She was even cleaner in appearance than when Christina had first seen her. Her face shone with the amount of soap with which she had scrubbed it; she had on a red plaid frock which was patched at the elbows with blue serge, and a white coarse apron was tied round her waist. Instead of a handkerchief round her head, she wore a black straw hat trimmed with a faded pink rose and a long rusty black feather, which sadly needed curling, and when she saw Christina's eyes rest on this bit of finery she drew her head up with regal pride.
"I bought it at the fair; my dad giv' me 'arfcrown. I got it to come and see you."
"It's very grand," said Christina admiringly, "and I think you look so nice, Susy. Oh, I do hope Miss Loder will ask you to stay to tea!"
Susy's eyes sparkled. She looked round her with interest.
"Where's the boy?" she asked. "Him what wanted you to swim the river. Ain't he with you?"
"No, he doesn't belong to me. He's in London with his father. Are you in our village, Susy? Where do you live now?"