glad to come, even thus late to the
House Party."
And though she had said the misunderstanding that had made both
herself and Dolly so unhappy "should be set right that very night,"
maybe this was her way of "setting" it so.
Thus ended another Day of that Wonderful Week, but the morning proved
rainy and dark.
"No day for going to the County Fair," remarked Mrs. Calvert as she
appeared among the young folks, just as they came trooping in to
breakfast. "We must think of something else. What shall it be? Since
I've invited myself to your Party I want to get some fun out of it!"
Helena thought she had never seen anything lovelier than this charming
old lady, who moved as briskly as a girl and entered into their
amusements like one; and when nobody answered her question she
volunteered the suggestion:
"Charades? Or a little play in the big barn?"
"Just the thing; the charades, I mean. There would hardly be time for
getting ready for a play, with parts to study and so on. We might plan
that for Friday evening, our last one together. But do you, my dear,
gather part of your friends about you and arrange the charades. Enough
of us must be left for audience, you know. Well, Dorothy, what is it?
You seem so anxious to speak?"
"Why not 'character' studies and make everybody guess. There's that
attic full of trunks I discovered one day. Surely they must be full of
lovely things; and oh! it's so jolly to 'dress up'! Afterward, we
might have a little dance in the barn--May we, may we?"
"Surely, we may! Dinah has the keys to the trunks, only I warn you--no
carelessness. It's one of my notions to preserve the costumes of the
passing years and I wouldn't like them injured. You may use anything
you find, on the condition of being careful."
That rainy day promised to be the merriest of all; and Dorothy had
quite forgotten some unpleasant things, till, breakfast being over and
most of the company disappearing in pursuit of Dinah and her keys to
the treasure-trunks, Aunt Betty laid a detaining touch upon her arm
and said:
"But you and I, my dear, will have a little talk in my room."
Down went her happiness in a flash. The "misunderstanding" had not
been passed by, then; and as yet there had been no "setting right."
Mrs. Calvert's face was not stern, saying this, but the girl so
thought. Indeed, had she known it, Aunt Betty shrank more from the
interview and the reproof she must give than did the culprit herself.
Ho
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