“Maybe we do see her,” said Dulcie; “we haven’t any idea what she looks like. Now, hurry and get undressed, children. It’s pretty cold up here; I think the furnace must be very low.”
Daisy and Molly began unfastening their dresses, but Maud still remained with her ear glued to the wall.
“Come, Maud, don’t dawdle,” commanded Dulcie, a little impatiently. “I’ll help you undress.”
“I want to listen to the singing lady,” objected Maud. “I love music.”
“You can listen in bed just as well, and if you stay up in this cold room, you may get another sore throat, and you wouldn’t like that, you know. My goodness! there’s the door-bell. Who can it be at this time of night?”
Evening visitors were not frequent at the Winslows’, and Molly was dispatched to peep over the banister.
“Perhaps it’s that minister who comes to see Aunt Kate,” said Dulcie, and this opinion was rather strengthened when Molly reported having heard a gentleman’s voice speaking to Mary.
Aunt Kate’s visitors were not interesting to the children, and they had almost forgotten the incident of the door-bell, when there came an unexpected tap at the nursery door.
“Children,” called Mary’s voice, rather breathless from the three long flights of stairs, “your grandma says you’re to come down right away. Your uncle’s here.”
There was a simultaneous exclamation of astonishment from four very excited little girls.