CHAPTER 14
An Unexpected Letter
The next morning, Jean, with three large bananas as a peace offering,was the first to arrive at Dandelion Cottage. Jean, a wise young personfor her years, had decided that a little hard work would clear theatmosphere, so, finding no one else in the house, she made a fire in thestove, put on the kettle, put up the leaf of the kitchen table, andbegan to take all the dishes from the pantry shelves. Dishwashing in thecottage was always far more enjoyable than this despised occupationusually is elsewhere, owing to the astonishing assortment of crockerythe girls had accumulated. No two of the dishes--with the exception of apair of plates bearing life-sized portraits of "The frog that woulda-wooing go, whether his mother would let him or no"--bore the samepattern. There was a bewildering diversity, too, in the sizes and shapesof the cups and saucers, and an alarming variety in the matter of color.But, as the girls had declared gleefully a dozen times or more, it wouldbe possible to set the table for seven courses when the time should comefor Mr. Black's and Mrs. Crane's dinner party, because so many of thethings almost matched if they didn't quite. Jean was thinking of this asshe lifted the dishes from the shelf to the table, and lovingly arrangedthem in pairs, the pink sugar bowl beside the blue cream-pitcher, theyellow coffee cup beside the dull red Japanese tea cup, and the"Love-the-Giver" mug beside the "For my Little Friend" oatmeal bowl. Shehad just taken down the big, dusty, cracked pitcher that matched nothingelse--which perhaps was the reason that it had remained high on theshelf since the day Mabel had used it for her lemonade--when thedoorbell rang.
Hastily wiping her dusty hands, Jean ran to the door. No one was there,but the postman was climbing the steps of the next house, so Jeanslipped her fingers expectantly into the little, rusty iron letter-box.Perhaps there was something from Miss Blossom, who sometimes showed thatshe had not forgotten her little landladies.
Sure enough, there was a large white letter, not from Miss Blossom to besure, but from somebody. To the young cottagers, letters were alwaysjoyous happenings; they had no debts, consequently they wereunacquainted with bills. With this auspicious beginning, for of coursethe coming of a totally unexpected letter was an auspicious beginning,it was surely going to be a cheerful, perhaps even a delightful, day.Jean hummed happily as she laid the unopened letter on the dining-roomtable, for of course a letter somewhat oddly addressed to "The FourYoung Ladies at 224 Fremont Street, City," could be opened only when allfour were present. When Marjory and Bettie came in, they fell upon theletter and examined every portion of the envelope, but neither girlcould imagine who had sent it. It was impossible to wait for Mabel, whowas always late, so Bettie obligingly ran to get her. Even so there wasstill a considerable wait while Mabel laced her shoes; but presentlyBettie returned, with Mabel, still nibbling very-much-buttered toast, ather heels.
"You open it, Jean," panted Bettie. "You can read writing better than wecan."
"Hurry," urged Mabel, who could keep other persons waiting much moreeasily than she herself could wait.
"Here's a fork to open it with," said Marjory. "I can't find thescissors. Hurry up; maybe it's a party and we'll have to R. S. V. P.right away."
"Oh, goody! If it is," squealed Mabel, "I can wear my new tan Oxfords."
"It's from Yours respectably--no, Yours regretfully, John W. Downing,"announced Jean. "The man that was here yesterday, you know."
"Read it, read it," pleaded the others, crowding so close that Jean hadto lift the letter above their heads in order to see it at all. "Dohurry up, we're crazy to hear it."
"My Dear Young Ladies," read Jean in a voice that started bravely but grew fainter with every line. "It is with sincere regret that I write to inform you that it no longer suits the convenience of the vestrymen to have you occupy the church cottage on Fremont Street. It is to be rented as soon as a few necessary repairs can be made, and in the meantime you will oblige us greatly by moving out at once. Please deliver the key at your earliest convenience to me at either my house or this office.
"Yours regretfully,
"JOHN W. DOWNING."
For as much as two minutes no one said a word. Jean had laid the openletter on the table. Marjory and Bettie with their arms tightly locked,as if both felt the need of support, reread the closely written page insilence. When they reached the end, they pushed it toward Mabel.
"What does it mean in plain English?" asked Mabel, hoping that both hereyes and her ears had deceived her.
"That somebody else is to have the cottage," said Jean, "and that in themeantime we're to move."
"In the meantime!" blurted Mabel, with swift wrath. "I should say it_was_ the meantime--the very meanest time anybody ever heard of. I'djust like to know what right 'Yours-respectably-John-W.-Downing' has toturn us out of our own house. I guess we paid our rent--I guess there'sblisters on me yet--I guess I dug dandelions--I guess I--"
But here Mabel's indignation turned to grief, and with one of her verybest howls and a torrent of tears she buried her face in Jean's apron.
"Bettie," asked Jean with her arms about Mabel, "do you think it woulddo any good to ask your father about it? He's the minister, you know,and he might explain to Mr. Downing that we were promised the cottagefor all summer."
"Papa went away this morning and won't be home for ten days. He hasexchanged with somebody for the next two Sundays."
"My pa-pa-papa's away, too," sobbed Mabel, "or he'd tell that vile Mr.Downing that it was all the Mill-ill-igans' fault. _They're_ the folksthat ought to be turned out, and I just wuh-wuh-wish they--they hadbeen."
"Why wouldn't it be a good idea," suggested Marjory, "for us all to godown to Mr. Downing's office and tell him all about it? You see, hehasn't lived here very long and perhaps he doesn't understand that wehave paid our rent for all summer."
"Yes," assented Jean, "that would probably be the best thing to do. Hewon't mind having us go to the office because he told us to take the keythere. But where _is_ his office?"
"I know," said Bettie. "Here's the address on the letter, and thedentist I go to is right near there, so I can find it easily."
"Then let's start right away," cried eager Mabel, uncovering adisheveled head and a tear-stained countenance. "Don't let's lose aminute."
"Mercy, no," said Jean, taking Mabel by the shoulders and pushing herbefore her to the blue-room mirror. "Do you think you can go _any_ placelooking like that? Do you think you _look_ like a desirable tenant?We've all got to be just as clean and neat as we can be. We've got toimpress him with our--our ladylikeness."
"I'll braid Mabel's hair," offered Bettie, "if Marjory will run aroundthe block and get all our hats. I'm wearing Dick's straw one with theblue ribbon just now, Marjory. You'll find it some place in our fronthall if Tommy hasn't got it on."
"Bring mine, too," said Jean; "it's in my room."
"I don't know _where_ mine is," said Mabel, "but if you can't find ityou'd better wear your Sunday one and lend me your everyday one."
"I don't see myself lending you any more hats," said Marjory, who had,like the other girls, brightened at the prospect of going to Mr.Downing's. "I haven't forgotten how you left the last one outdoors allnight in the rain, and how it looked afterwards, when Aunty Jane made mewear it to punish me for _my_ carelessness. You'll go in your own hat ornone."
"Well," said Mabel, meekly, "I guess you'll probably find it in my roomunder the bed, if it isn't in the parlor behind the sofa."
"Now, remember," said Jean, who was retying the bow on Bettie's hair,"we're all to be polite, whatever happens, for we mustn't let Mr.Downing think we're anything like the Milligans. If he won't let us havethe cottage when he knows about the rent's being paid--though I'malmost sure he _will_ let us keep it--why, we'll just have to give it upand not let him see that we care."
"I'll be good," promised Bettie.
"You needn't be afraid of _me_," said Mabel. "I wouldn't humble myselfto _speak_ to such a despisable man."
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