They were all in the library, and he
announced his errand without taking a seat. "My sister Ada--Mrs.
Cranford, you know--is very anxious for you to come over for a little
while. She was so prostrated yesterday by the shock of what happened
in her absence that she couldn't talk coherently to you then; but she
feels that she must see you for a few moments, if possible, and she is
unable to come out this morning. May I take you over in my sleigh?"
Alida, showing no trace of surprise at the message, rose at once to go
up-stairs for her hat, but Mrs. Gooding plied him with astonished
questions.
"Is it possible that she has not told you?" he exclaimed. "My sister
is spending the winter here with her little daughter Doris. We all
idolise the child, and she is never left alone a moment. But yesterday
we were all out of town at a wedding, and Doris had to be left with
only the nurse. Nobody will ever know how it happened, but she slipped
away and got into the little cottage around the corner. There was a
child there that she had taken a fancy to from seeing it at the window
whenever she passed.
"Nobody can find out how long she was there, or what the two children
did. She says that they played party and had 'good fings' to eat that
they 'finded' by themselves. Miss Alida met her coming home about four
o'clock, and turned to walk with her and see her safely into the
house, for she suspected that Doris had run away.
Pages:
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43