“You are evidently clothed,” was the response, “but I’m not sure about the right mind. Don’t you remember that Dr. Morgan does not return until to-night? By that time we will be home. I’ll speak to Miss Brosius as we go down to lunch. She’s the high-monkey-monk here when our Ph. D. is roaming. We have no time to waste. Jordan will see to the trunks and tickets. He always does. Put on your wraps. We’ll eat our lunch with them on. It is no use coming back up-stairs. There are but few of the girls left. We’ll bid them goodbye down-stairs.”
It was not until then that Elizabeth had time to think about going to Mary’s home. Then she stopped and suddenly put the question: “Perhaps your mother will not want me, Mary. She—”
“Come on! Of course, she’ll want you. She is always glad to have company. She would not be pleased if I came home and left you here alone.”
“But it might inconvenience her,” she began again.
“Nothing ever inconveniences my mother. She won’t allow it to. The only trouble we have is that our girls take sudden notions to go off and marry, and sometimes we do not have anyone to do the work. I think Fanny intended being married during the holidays. If she does, you and I will have a position as dishwasher. Can you wash dishes?”
“Yes; I always do at home.”
“Well, we may have to do it. But we will have a good time. When the servants take to themselves wings we all help, and such fun as we do have! A little matter like that never inconveniences mother. Once during court week, our only hotel burned. There was a big case on before father, and he brought all the witnesses and lawyers home. They were there three days. Mother seemed to think it was a joke.” Then with a look at Elizabeth, she added with conviction, “A little bit of a girl like you could not inconvenience her.”
The Wilson home was at Windburne, a two hours’ ride from Exeter with a change of cars at Ridgway.
It was extremely cold when the girls left the Hall, but before they reached Ridgway the mercury had gone several degrees lower.
The road to Windburne from the Ridgway junction is a local affair, narrow gauge, with little rocking cars in which a tall person could scarcely stand upright. Windburne is the county-seat and consequently a place of importance, but Ridgway has little traffic and the roads intersecting there take no pains to make close connections.