Now Adele’s father had said only that very morning that Miss Grackle had plenty of money, so Adele decided that she had just been too ill to order things.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” the girl said aloud, and away she went, leaving the wondering Gertrude to care for the invalid.
A woman who often came to the Doring home to help Kate with the cleaning lived in the house nearest, on the main road, and from her Adele procured some lamb broth and bread. Miss Grackle, truly faint from hunger, could not resist the fragrance of the broth which Adele was heating, and she rather ungraciously permitted Gertrude to prop her up with the pillows, while Adele brought to her a bowl of the steaming broth and some fresh bread and butter.
When this was eaten Miss Grackle seemed stronger. She looked at the girls curiously.
“Young ladies,” she said, “perhaps you do not know it, but you are the first two human beings who have succeeded in crossing my threshold in ten years. Now, pray tell me, what did you come for? You must have a reason.”
“We came to invite you to a surprise birthday-party which we are going to give for Granny Dorset,” Adele said simply.
The girls, watching the old lady, were surprised to see a twinkle appear in the gray eyes.
“Well,” she declared, “I had decided to die, but now I do believe that I will live a while longer; and, thank you kindly, I’ll come to the party.”
Before they left, Miss Grackle gave the girls some money and asked them to order some groceries for her at the store.
“And be sure to tell that boy to leave the things just inside the gate the way he always does.”