Miss Virginia dropped the subject, and said in a more kindly tone: “I really hope the Club will come here next week; I begin to think, as Sarah does, that it is rather pleasant to hear their young voices in this quiet old house. We missed them this afternoon.”
In this change of mind on the part of Miss Virginia, Ruth Warren recognized Sarah Judd’s influence; for behind an iron exterior, this trusty old serving-woman had a heart of gold.
CHAPTER V
A LITTLE OLD LADY’S DOLL
Something the heart must have to cherish.
—Henry W. Longfellow.
THE next Monday afternoon Elsa and Alice went home from school with Betty to talk over a plan which Elsa had said, with a very mysterious air, that she wanted to tell them about. Finding that the baby was not in the nursery, Betty took her friends to this delightful room, with the flowering geraniums and the little strawberry-birds and the row of dolls, the gay pillows of the window-seat, and the Kate Greenaway paper.
“I should think you would stay here all the time, Betty,” exclaimed Elsa, curling herself into a little heap on the rug, and leaning back against the bed; her eyes began roaming around the “picture-book room,” as she called it to herself.
“I do stay here half of the time,—all night,” Betty answered quickly. “That’s half the time when you have to go to bed at eight o’clock! Now tell us about your secret.” Betty sat down near the door, to guard the approach, and Alice drew a small rocking-chair close to the shelf of plants, so that she could watch the lively little strawberry-birds.
“It’s this,” said Elsa; “when my Uncle Ned was here, last Friday, he asked me ever and ever so much about the Club, and I told him about our dressing dolls for the Convalescent Home children, and about how much they needed money; and he thought it would be nice if we could earn some money,—no matter if it was just a little,—and surprise Miss Ruth, and have it to give to the Convalescent Home with the dolls on Christmas Day.” Elsa’s eyes were shining with interest.