Nancy was so surprised she almost exclaimed aloud. There was the “sick” Miss Townsend fairly beaming, in, what surely looked like, very good health. The little dog was frisking around and Nancy had scarcely seated herself in the chair by the window when he pounced up on her lap, and after “kissing her” several times, finally subsided into a small, brown, woolly ball, cuddled into a little nest formed from the soft folds of Nancy’s blue voile skirt.
“I’m so glad to see you are better, Miss Townsend,” Mrs. Brandon presently said. “You have been ill, we heard.”
“Yes indeed, but I’m better now, really a new woman, you might say,” and Miss Townsend now seated herself comfortably on the small green sofa near them. “But it was just worry. Worry is a pretty bad ailment, isn’t it?” she asked, smiling a contradiction to anything like worry affecting her just then.
“You are real cozy here,” Mrs. Brandon ventured.
“Yes, it’s quite pleasant, but I’ve just come back from a trip to the sea shore. I guess that is what helped me most,” conceded Miss Townsend.
Like Nancy, Mrs. Brandon also, was much surprised at Miss Townsend’s exuberant spirits. It was perfectly plain that some good fortune had befallen the lady since she had paid that mournful visit to Nancy.
“You see,” she began, as if in answer to their unmasked questions, “our business affairs are being all straightened out and Brother Elmer is getting back the money he loaned. Of course I didn’t understand, and it is one of those affairs a woman isn’t supposed to understand.” This was said in that sort of tone that conveys deep and mysterious meaning.
“I’m awfully glad of that,” Mrs. Brandon assured the woman in her brand new heliotrope one piece dress. It was quite modish, indeed, and without question, very becoming to Miss Townsend.
“Oh, yes,” went on the hostess, “I was so worried for a long time. You see, I really couldn’t have faith in a business deal that I was not privileged to know the details of. I have been a business woman all my life,” she insisted, “and I’m not afraid to tackle any business deal,” at this she dangled her amethyst beads self-consciously. “But Elmer and Mr. Sanders!” Her hands went up protestingly. “They just used every dollar. Well—” she broke off suddenly, “it’s all right now, so why should I fuss about it. You didn’t come to hear of my troubles, I’m sure.”
At this point Mrs. Brandon divulged the real purpose of her visit. Nancy was having a great time with Tiny. He was awake now and evidently eager to show off. He stood up and begged, jumped down and “prayed” and otherwise disported himself most wonderfully. The distraction afforded Nancy a welcome chance to sit aside and take little or no part in the elder’s conversation, but she was, as Ted would have said, “all ears to it.”