CHAPTER V.
THE CARNEGIE HALL CONCERT.
“Oh, dear, what a lazy girl I am. Nine o’clock and I have not had breakfast. What day is it? Thursday,—and Mr. Ludlow coming here at one o’clock. I must hurry for I must practice some,” murmured Dorothy to herself.
“Dorothy girl, are you still in bed?” called Aunt Betty from the next room.
“I’ll be with you in just a minute, Aunty dear. I’m most ready. Oh, Alfy, please help me,—please,” called Dorothy.
“All right,” replied Alfy, “do you need me to do up the back of your dress?”
“Yes, and that’s all. I’m so late. I did want to write Frau this morning, too,” said Dorothy crossly. “Come, let’s go to breakfast.”
After breakfast Dorothy practiced and Aunt Betty and Alfaretta took a walk and visited some of the large stores where they did a little shopping, Aunt Betty buying the girls each a pair of long white gloves and an Irish-lawn collar at Altman’s.
Dorothy was all dressed and waiting for them when they got home. She had on a very simple white dress, one they had made, with just a touch of pink, a small pink bow, at the waist, and a pink hair ribbon. She had practiced the two compositions thoroughly and felt that she knew them perfectly. True, she did feel a slight bit nervous, but in her past experience when she had her violin in her hands she lost self-consciousness and became wrapped up in her music.
“Dorothy,” called Alfy, “we are home, and, see, Aunt Betty bought me these. They are so pretty and I always did want them. I’m so glad I have them. But you go to Aunt Betty, she has something for you.”