As, in her own little room, Billie regarded her flushed reflection in the mirror it seemed impossible to make herself realize that she was really going to Three Towers Hall at last—Three Towers which had been the height of her ambition from the time she had entered the grammar school.
She was beginning to feel quite grown up—which was perhaps the reason she regarded her new and very pretty brown hat with a critical eye and smoothed down her new and very pretty brown dress with hands that trembled with excitement.
"Well, I think I'm all ready now," she said at last, and gave a little, half-frightened glance around the familiar room. She wondered how it would seem to sleep in a strange place with no mother or father near by.
Then she shook herself impatiently and picked up her bag—for was she not grown-up now?
However, she did not feel very grown-up when a moment later she met her mother in the hall and saw traces of tears on her face. For Mother had no new scenes to go to and the departure of her two noisy children would leave the house strangely quiet and subdued.
Billie flung herself upon her mother and hugged her tight.
"Mumsey, you've been crying!" she said to her accusingly. "And you know you mustn't."
Then to her great surprise she felt a peculiar lump in her own throat, and two tears forced themselves to her eyes.
She had never dreamt of crying, and for the first time she realized that leaving one's mother—even for Three Towers—was not easy, after all!
But it was Mrs. Bradley who came to the rescue and prevented a break down by asking: