“I wish she’d come, too,” joined in Doromea. “Somehow I never have time to go to see her—it’s such an undertaking to go in to town.”
“And it used to be such an undertaking to come out,” Ellen laughed. “I think it’s rather sweet of Sheila to bother. Ah”—as a cloud of dust came round the corner of the road—“there she is now—at least I suppose she will emerge shortly.”
And in another minute she had emerged; a tiny, wild-rose sort of creature, all fluffy chiffons and flying yellow curls—a baby, you would have said, until you saw her reach up and kiss her husband.
“Wasn’t he a darling to bring me?” she asked the other women, when he and the machine had vanished down the drive. “He had two men to see by three o’clock, and a simply terrifically important race to follow; but he brought me out just the same. And he’s coming back for me—those wretched Elbert Lewises!—but I promised Peter Butler I’d go to something of theirs; they took care of Peter when he broke his knee that time, and as long as he’s my cousin—well, what I meant to say in the very first place was, how are you all? Patsy, where’s the Angel?”
“Up-stairs on Ellen’s bed, asleep,” returned Patsy, promptly. “Want to go look at him?”
“Rather!” Sheila was tugging at the strings of her frilly blue motor-bonnet. “There!—and I’ll just shed this coat, too; then I can’t get him the least bit dusty.” She was out of the coat in a second, and more childish than ever in her simple rose-colored frock.
“Fancy Sheila thinking about getting dust on the baby!” Doromea turned to Ellen, as the two ridiculously young mothers disappeared inside the house.
“A society person with ideas on hygiene!” echoed Ellen.
“He does look so well and rosy.” Sheila peered wistfully at Patsy’s Angel from under her long curling eyelashes. “And in Washington, too, you can keep him always out-of-doors—there are so many squares and flowery places.”
“Oh, yes,” said Patsy, cheerfully. “There are dozens of parks for him in Washington; though I always look forward to this real country when we come to visit Timothy and Dorry.”