“I won’t trouble you to send her back,” said Mrs. Owen. “The children will go for her to-morrow afternoon.”
The next day Peggy and Alice could hardly wait to finish their dinner, they were so eager to go for Lady Jane and get back in time to spend a long afternoon with Clara. As they came near the Carters’ house, they saw Christopher just coming out of the gate.
“So you are going to take the cat back again?” he said disapprovingly, as he looked at the basket.
“She’s our cat,” Alice said sweetly, but very firmly.
Christopher looked down at Alice, who smiled up at him and showed her dimples.
“Yes, of course, she is your cat,” he said; for nobody could resist Alice. “But it seems too bad to yank her out every time she comes back to her old place.”
“We’ve had her a very long time,” said Alice. “I can hardly remember anything before we had her.”
“She must be a very old cat,” said Christopher, laughing.
It seemed strange to ring the doorbell of their own old house. The front door was painted green now and it had a shiny brass knocker. The office door was green, too. It was sad not to see their dear father’s name there any more. “Dr. T. H. Carter” seemed very unnatural. The grass was beginning to grow green, and the snowdrops and crocuses were in blossom by the front door. Mrs. Carter opened the door for them herself. She looked so pleasant that Peggy wanted to kiss her.
“I know you’ve come for Lady Jane,” she said, glancing at the basket. “She’s out calling this afternoon, but I’m sure she’ll be in before long. While you are waiting for her you can go up and see Diana. She is expecting you. You can go upstairs; she is out on the piazza.”