But the day after Guardy Lud left, just as the three were sitting together over a great State map of roads, perfecting their plans for a wonderful vacation, which was to include a brief visit to Ellen Robinson at Sterling, a noisy Ford drew up at the door, and there was Ellen Robinson herself, with the entire family done up in linen dust-coats and peering curiously, half contemptuously, at the strange pink-and-white architecture of the many-windowed “villa.”
Allison arose and went down the terrace to do the honors, showing his uncle where to drive in and put his car in the little garage, helping his aunt and the little cousins to alight.
“For mercy’s sake, Julia, what a queer house you’ve got!” said Ellen the minute she arrived, gazing disapprovingly at the many windows and the brick terrace. “I should think ’twould take all your time to keep clean. What’s the idea in making a sidewalk of your front porch? Looks as if some crazy person had built it. Couldn’t you find anything better than this in the town? I saw some real pretty frame houses with gardens as we came through.”
“We like this very well,” said Julia Cloud with her old patient smile and the hurt flush that always accompanied her answers to her sister’s contempt. “Cherry doesn’t seem to mind washing windows. She likes to keep them bright. We find it very comfortable and light and airy. Come inside, and see how pretty it is.”
Once inside, Ellen Robinson was somewhat awed with the strangeness of the rooms and the beauty of the furnishings, but all she said after a prolonged survey was: “Um! No paper on the wall! That’s 276 queer, isn’t it? And the chimney right in the room! It looks as though they didn’t have plaster enough to go around.”
Leslie took the children up-stairs to wash their faces and freshen up, and Julia Cloud led her sister to the lovely guest-room that was always in perfect order.
“Well, you certainly have things well fixed,” said Ellen grudgingly. “What easy little stairs! It’s like child’s play going up. I suppose that’s one consolation for having such a little playhouse affair to live in; you don’t have to climb up far. Well, we’ve come to stay two days if you want us. Herbert said he could spare that much time off, and we’re going to stop in Thayerville on the way back and see his folks a couple of days; and that’ll be a week. Now, if you don’t want us, say so, and we’ll go on to-night. It isn’t as if we couldn’t go when we like, you know.”
But Julia Cloud was genuinely glad to see her sister, and said so heartily enough to satisfy even so jealous a nature as Ellen’s; and so presently they were walking about the pretty rooms together, and Ellen was taking in all the beauties of the home.
“And this is your bedroom!” she paused in the middle of the rose-and-gray room, and looked about her, taking in every little detail with an eye that would put it away for remembrance long afterwards. “Well, they certainly have feathered your nest well!” she declared as her eyes rested on the luxury everywhere. “Though I don’t like that painted furniture much myself,” she said as she glanced at the French gray enamel of the bed; “but I suppose it’s all right if that’s the kind of thing you like. Was it some of their old furniture from California?”