Rose went into the house and set to work with the graceful celerity which Mrs. Diehl called "knack."
"Rose, you can turn off work when you really want to, to beat anything I ever see."
Rose smiled and hummed a tune. Mrs. Diehl was made curious.
"You're wonderful good-natured, it seems to me. What's the reason, already?"
"We're going to have company."
"Who, for Peter's sake?"
"Dr. Thatcher."
"What's he come here for?"
"To see pappa," said Rose, as she rushed upstairs into her attic-room. It was cold up there, warmed only by the stove-pipe from the sitting-room, but she sat down and fell into a dream in which she recalled every look and word he had given her.
She came suddenly to herself, and began putting on her red dress, which was her company dress. When she came downstairs in her creaking new shoes Mrs. Diehl was properly indignant.