Gladys shook her head. “I shall only make it worse,” she said. “She’ll see a girl around, and it will remind her of you fearfully. Like that man in our Grecian mythology lesson—what’s his name?—who stood deep in water, and when he put his head down to drink it all slipped away, though he was nearly crazy with thirst.”
“Oh, gracious, Gladys! What nonsense! As though Gwen cared as much for me as for you—her own sister!” cried Jan. “You’ve all been getting so well acquainted this winter that you won’t miss me at all, except at first. And you and Gwen enjoy each other fifty times more than you did.” And Jan pinched Gwen’s arm to remind her to indorse these statements, for they had agreed privately that Gladys needed encouragement in her efforts to be more sensible, and also that she needed affection to draw out her better side.
“Yes, that’s so, Glad,” said Gwen promptly. “What with my being sick and in danger of being blind, and most of all with our having blessed Miss Lochinvar here to bring us all together, we are a much nicer family than we were, and I sha’n’t miss Jan anything like as much as I should if we weren’t getting to be really sisters. And I hope I’ll help you not to be lonely. And, Jan, I mean to do just what you say with Viva and Jack and Syd—especially Syd—and with Jerry, too, though she doesn’t count so much yet. I mean to be nice to them, and get them to love me and tell me things, and I see what you mean about its being better to have them than to have fame—though I can’t help hoping I’ll do something fine in the world yet.”
“I’m certain sure you will; you can’t help it with all your talents,” said Jan with the profound conviction so precious to an aspiring but undeveloped genius.
“Maybe I can learn to teach the children to like me too,” said Gladys with new and most becoming modesty, though not with the clearest form of expression.
After luncheon, eaten hastily and with a certainty of being late for her train on the part of the departing one, the Grahams’ landau drove up to the door. Jan had arrived without other escort than Nurse Hummel, but there was no question of Miss Lochinvar’s going away in like manner. There was not one of the Grahams—not even Sydney—who did not stand on the right to see Jan off. Sydney climbed up on the box with Henry, and they took Jack between them. Mrs. Graham sat on the back seat, with Jerry on her knee; Gladys, Jan, and Viva were to ride on the front seat, with Gwen beside her mother.
“Come, girls!” called Mrs. Graham, consulting her watch. “Viva, get out again and tell the girls to come.” Viva ran up the steps and encountered Jan in the hall, held fast in Nurse Hummel’s capacious embrace. Norah and Susan, Hannah the cook, and Maggie the laundress were waiting a chance to shake Miss Lochinvar’s hand and wish her Godspeed.
“May der lieber Gott keep you and pring you back quick und safe, liebchen!” cried Hummie. “I haf not a little girl so goot und useful among der Americans seen as you. I vish I might shake your highly-to-be-respected mutter by der hant, und say to her how much she is lucky to haf you.” And Nurse Hummel reluctantly gave up Jan and ceased her eloquence, as badly Germanized as usual under emotion, as Viva cried out that her mother wanted Jan to come at once.
“Good-by, Miss Janet; good luck to you!” said the other servants heartily, shaking the firm, warm hand Jan extended. Then with one parting squeeze for Drom, who implored, with eyes that seemed to see that Jan was leaving him altogether, to be taken, too, and a kiss on the glossy head of Tommy Traddles, whom Susan obligingly held, and who was highly disturbed by the excitement around him, Jan ran down the long steps which she had ascended for the first time with such different feelings. Now she could hardly see them for the tears in her eyes that she should see them no more.
Tucked tightly in her third of the seat with Gladys and Viva, Jan looked up at the big house as Henry started away from it. It looked just as impassive and irresponsive as on the day when she saw it first, but she loved it, for within its walls she had found love.