Sandhill Street: The Loss of Gentleness

Chapter 10 In Miss Worry’s Room

  At home in Grace House the cousins found nothing amiss. Gentleness had not returned home yet, but it was still early evening and nothing to worry about. He was probably visiting with some high school friend.

  Reason was taking the abominometer to Grace to ask him if it was functioning correctly, when she met Honesty in the hall. The little woman beckoned her into her own bedroom and closed the door after them.

  “You asked me to keep an eye on this Fret person,” she said with narrowed eyes.

  “Yes, have you found something? Do you know where she hides out?”

  “I know she doesn’t use the servant’s room in the attic that was assigned to her. Furthermore, today I tailed her and actually saw her going into Miss Worry’s room.”

  Miss Worry was the house’s perpetual, non-paying border. A holdover from the days before the Heavenites came, she was paranoid, shiftless, and a known informer for the City. She was also such a recluse that Reason could not remember having actually seen her for several years. The only guest Miss Worry admitted was Mr. Selfishness, but even he had made few visits during recent years. Sometimes Reason had wondered if Worry might die in there with no one knowing it.

  “So did you follow her in?”

  “No. Humility doesn’t allow Worry any locks on her door, but a long time ago she took to wedging a chair under the doorknob, and she never forgets to do it; I haven’t been able to get in there for years. No, I just waited for Fret to come out so I could confront her, but she didn’t.”

  “If she’s actually living in there, then she and Worry must be plotting something together.”

  “I must say that the evidence is mixed,” Honesty said. “Obscurity and I haven’t been able to pin anything specific on Fret. She isn’t trying to subvert Joy that we can tell, and she doesn’t snoop around the house. Still, as you say, any friend of Worry’s…. But here is something just as interesting.” She opened a drawer in her nightstand, and pulling out a folded sheet of stationery, handed it to Reason. “Obscurity took that out of the pocket of Fret’s work apron today when she had left it somewhere and was in another room.”

  The greeting of the letter was only to ‘dearest,’ but the first few lines made it clear that it was intended for Fret. Observing that it was signed by Miss Confusion, Reason half crumpled the letter in disgust, for Confusion was an old enemy of Grace House and particularly of Reason, who hated her with a perfect hatred.

  “Well, that settles it. Fret must go.”

  “Aren’t you going to read all of it?” asked Honesty, for she loved this sort of thing.

  Reason nodded grimly and read the whole thing, penned in Confusion’s bold, looping handwriting.

  Dearest,

  Selfishness tells me that you have entered the work force at last! Windows? You must find a better outlet than that for your creativity or you’ll become as dull as your employers. Dream dreams, sweetest, and live them. That’s my motto.

  Anyway, I had to write and tell you that I’ve just taken a new job as a nanny, and the people I work for are just down the street from you! They’re a dear, loving family named the Leasings. They are wildly appreciative of me and have three attractive children that are just pets. Yes, I know you’ll remember a time when I was not so very fond of children, but the eldest, a girl, is just the sort I like. As for her younger brothers, they can be a handful, but nothing a few drops of laudanum in their milk doesn’t take care of. All in all, I believe I’ve finally found my niche.

  Anyway, with us living so close to each other, we can surely get together for pleasant lunches. Your old friends miss you. Remember the good times we used to have? Tedium sends you her love. Just drop me a line and we’ll set something up. If you can tear yourself away from that special diet you used to swear by, they have excellent specials at Moodies. I would have called you but that white haired witch who married Pride probably has the phones bugged.

  And a word of warning, dear. A certain admirer of yours tells me you’ve not been available when he tries to visit or call you. He also tells me you’ve been getting chummy with Humility and Faith’s eldest. Don’t, don’t throw yourself away on a Heavenite. Anyway, your friend always considered himself practically engaged to you. He’s looking stricken—don’t let him down now. We’ll talk about it later.

  Lot’s of love, and do stay in touch.

  Your dearest friend,

  Confusion

  With a white face, Reason finished the letter, smoothed it out, and handed it back to Honesty.

  “Does she know you have this?”

  “Probably not. The apron is still hanging over a chair in the TV room. She never went back to get it.”

  “Then put it back in her pocket. No need for her to know how much we’ve found out.” Reason stood up quivering. “If she’s still in Worry’s room, then I’m going to see her.”

  “Worry won’t let you in.”

  “She’ll have to!”

  Though she walked hurriedly toward Worry’s room, she still had time to calm down a bit. She had to admit that even this letter was not enough to constitute a reason for Fret’s immediate eviction from the house, for the wording indicated that Fret had seen little of Confusion and Tedium’s crowd recently. Nevertheless, it was time to ask a few blunt questions. She paused at the door and knocked like a bill collector. To her surprise, it opened immediately as she was let in by Fret. Worry was not to be seen in the close, gloomy place.

  “Where’s your hostess?” she asked of Fret.

  The waif gave no answer but looked at her with sad, soulful eyes. Worry had a private bathroom, so Reason guessed that she had retreated in there.

  “Fret, I realize Grace is allowing you to stay here on trial, but you’ll never work out either in his eyes or in mine if you make visits in here. You ought to know that the woman who lives in this room can’t be trusted.”

  Fret nodded with apparent reluctance. “That’s what’s so bad about getting carried away with impulses to warn about things,” she said dolefully.

  “She’s much worse than that,” Reason insisted. “She’s a City stooge. Stay away from her. And listen, you also seem to have some old friends who are not welcome in this house—you know who I mean—and although you may have the right to get together with them on your own time, I strongly advise against it.”

  “I won’t,” she said, “I won’t see them.”

  “Well, good.” Reason paused and looked at the woman, who seemed on the verge of tears. Quite the drama queen. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

  She almost jumped when Fret reached out and took her by the hand. “I’m sorry I’ve let you down,” she said. “I’ve been really turned inward. From now on maybe I can help you instead.”

  This seemed so sincere that Reason almost felt remorse for her harsh words. “Fine you do that.” She started to go, but turned back to add, “And stay away from Joy!”