“Mercy me!” ejaculated the smallest Corner House girl. “Sandyface! you sound just as though you were beginning to boil! Oh!”
For just then the door from the rear hall opened quickly and startled her. The strange girl—the circus girl—who had so interested Dot and Tess, to say nothing of the rest of the family, popped in.
“Oh!” repeated Dot. “How you frightened me.”
Barnabetta stood with her back against the door. One might have thought that the appearance of Dot, had been quite as unexpected and had frightened her.
She seemed breathless, too, as though she had been running. But of course she had not been running. Where should she have run to on such a cold night? And there was no snow on her shoes. Besides, she wore no wrap.
“Did—did I frighten you, little girl?” Barnabetta said. “I am sorry, I did not mean to.”
She had both hands behind her and stood against the door in a most awkward position.
“I was afraid you had gone to bed,” prattled on Dot, stroking Sandyface. “Ruthie said she s’posed you had. But I’m glad you hadn’t. I wanted to ask you something.”
“Did—did you?” returned Barnabetta. She seemed to be listening all the time—as though something was going on in the hall that frightened her.
“Yes,” Dot went on placidly. “You know, we’ve been to a circus once.”