“I like to know that,” she went on. “You see I feel so—so friendless.”
“Why, with your aunts and all?” inquired Mrs. Disbrow.
“I feel as if I ought to be protecting my aunts, you see,” explained Annie. “They are old and terribly broken by father’s death. And then, everything has gone so wrong with us. We haven’t been able to find father’s money anywhere, you know, and we’re really poor. We’ve no money to run the dairy on, and the men need overseeing, and I’ve blundered along with my bad bookkeeping. Altogether, it looks as if things were going to ruin, and I just can’t bear that, Mrs. Disbrow.”
“Why, you’ve always been so prosperous!” exclaimed Mrs. Disbrow. “My husband often has spoken of how prosperous your father was, and has contrasted him with himself. You see, Mr. Disbrow never has got on well here. His farm has paid poorly, and of course the undertaking business is of very little consequence in a community like this. I declare I can’t blame him for being discouraged and bitter and sort of half-hating the men who are successful. It’s hard to like people when everything is going against you.”
Annie Laurie swept her glance around the room again, taking in the brother and sister, and resting it at last on the sick woman.
“I suppose it is,” she said slowly. “I suppose it is. But Mrs. McBirney says you have to give out liking to have people like you, and that you have to think you are going to succeed in order to do it.”
“And you have to think well in order to be well, I suppose,” said the invalid angrily. “I suppose that’s her idea. Well, you can tell her for me that she’s mistaken.”
Annie Laurie did not look rebuked. She sat still, thinking.
“I know so little about sickness,” she said slowly, “that I can’t even sympathize the way I ought to, I suppose. Oh, Mrs. Disbrow, don’t you suppose you could go riding with me? I’m such a good driver, I wouldn’t let you be shaken up at all. Sam and Hannah could sit beside you to keep you from being joggled.”
“A pretty sight I’d make!” cried Mrs. Disbrow. “There’s too many of the neighbors would be peeking out to see what I looked like, after all these years of being shut away. No, thank you, child, I don’t believe I want to try.”