CHAPTER XI.
WELCOME VISITORS.
When the Doctor went up to Mary's room after luncheon to make his usualvisit, he found a very quiet little girl waiting for him. His sister hadtold him no more than was necessary of the scene an hour earlier, sothat he was more than surprised to find the child in bed and oh, sotired!
"I fear that you stayed up too long this morning, little one. Bettertake a nap and not try to sit up again to-day. You are going to havecompany this afternoon. Can you guess who it is?"
"To-day is Saturday. Aunt Mary, Uncle?"
"Exactly. She and Sister Dominic are in town doing some shopping, andshe called me up at the office to know at what hour they might see mypatient. I told them to come about three o'clock. That will give youplenty of time for a little rest."
"Uncle--please put your head down." Her little arms clasped his neck,and she whispered close to his ear, "I love to be with you, but--but Ijust can't help wishing that I could go----"
"I know, dear, I know. I, too, wish that you were able to go--that wemight both go; but you have no idea what it is going to mean to me tohave you with me. I have so many lovely plans that I fear we shall neverhave time to carry them all out. One is about the pony you will learn toride when we go South after Christmas to a beautiful, warm place wherewe shall almost live outdoors under such a bright blue sky that you mayhave to wear black spectacles. Green ones might be more to your taste,or those new style amber-colored ones."
"What is amber color, Uncle?"
"A deep, golden yellow. Oh, I _beg_ your pardon! Yellow is not yourfavorite color, nor green, either."
"Nor black, _either_. If I _must_ wear glasses, they will have to beclear ones like Aunt Mandy's or blue ones."
"But black is not a color. It is the absence of all color. Do you know,it seems to me strange that your hair has escaped----"
"My hair escaped!" Mary felt her head. "Why, Uncle, it is on my headjust as tight as ever. You frightened me. I thought it was flying away.I s'pose _escaped_ has more than one meaning just as so many words have.When I forgot to close the door of Dick's cage, and he flew out, Mothersaid he had escaped."
"In this case, I mean that I am surprised that you have not dyed yourhair blue or bleached it white."
"Now, Uncle, you are just teasing me. Have _you_ ever seen anyone withblue hair?"
"I must admit that I have not. Such a person would soon make her fortunein a dime museum or in a side-show at a circus."
"You know very well, sir, that the promise doesn't mean that a personhas to change the color of her hair and lips. Why, no one's face is purewhite; and who ever heard of blue lips?"
"Two weeks ago, the lips of a certain person, not a thousand miles away,were as blue as I should ever care to see anyone's, and her face lookedas white as the pillow. But I am glad to know that you do not intend toblue your hair. It brightens things up as a sudden burst of sunshinedoes on a gloomy day. Let me punch up that pillow for you, and then goto sleep just as fast as you can so as to be ready for Aunt Mary andSister Dominic."
When Mary opened her eyes two hours later, the sound of voices in thenext room told her that her visitors had arrived. Presently, her motherpeeped in, and finding the little girl awake, propped her up against thepillows and put a fluffy white shawl about her shoulders.
This was Sister Madeline's first visit since Mary had begun to recover.
"I'm so sorry that I didn't know you were here those other times, AuntMary. Mother told me afterwards when the bad dreams went away. It seemsstrange that I had them nearly all the time then, and they never botherme now."
"That is a very good sign that you are much better. You will soon beable to spend the day with us at Maryvale. By the way, Elizabeth, wheredid you put that famous black bag at which you are always poking fun?Mary will have greater respect for it than you have when she sees whatthere is in it for her. Now," and Sister Madeline drew from her clothbag a large oblong package, "can you guess what this is?"
"Some of Sister Wilfred's cookies?"
"Oh, dear, no! But remember that, Sister Dominic, for our next visit.You are so 'cold,' Mary, that I am sure you can never guess. Just seehow your little friends spent their library hour last evening."
"Letters! and such a pile of them!"
"Yes, it will take you some time to read them. I was so afraid that thepostman might object to bringing such a number to one little girl that Ithought I had better carry them myself. Some of the children feared thatthey would not look like real letters; so they took the stamps from oldenvelopes to paste on theirs and made circles with spools for postmarksand asked some of the larger girls to print in them the names and dates.I am very sure that no little girl has ever received so many lettersfrom distant lands. Here is one with the Cuban stamp, one from Brazil,several from Canada, one from China, one from Italy----"
"Oh, please let me look at that stamp, Aunt Mary--Now I shall know whichletters are from Father and Mother the very minute the postman bringsthem," Mary murmured wistfully.
"Do you think, Sister, that the boy with our suit-case is lost? We hadsomething else for Mary packed in a black suit-case, Elizabeth; and aswe did not care to carry it about town with us, we sent a boy out herewith it."
"It is safe in Sister Julia's room. The boy handed it to Liza with themessage, 'For the Sister;' and as Sister Julia has returned to herconvent for a few hours, we thought, of course, that she had sent backsome clothing by him. I shall get it."
"Perhaps you will make a warmer guess this time, Mary," said SisterDominic, placing the suit-case on a chair beside the bed. "I assure youthat it is nothing Sister Julia would think of wearing."
"I guess books, Sister."
"The suit-case is not heavy enough for books, dear. Indeed," laughedMrs. Selwyn, "I rather think that Aunt Mary is playing a joke on you."
"Not at all!" and Sister Madeline threw back the cover.
"Oh, oh! what beauties!"
Mary's eyes shone with delight at sight of the great mass ofchrysanthemums--big, ragged yellow ones; fluffy pink ones; curly whiteones; "and see, Mother, see the long sprays of little baby ones!"
"Dan has had great success with his chrysanthemums this year," explainedSister Madeline. "I tell him that they would win the prize at the flowershow; but he insists that he raises his flowers for the altar, not forprizes."
"I think that is where these ought to be, Aunt Mary. Do you think Mr.Daniel would mind if Mother sends the big ones to Father Lacey for thealtar, and keeps just the little ones for us?--the little white ones toput before Blessed Mother's statue, the pink ones for the dinner table,and the yellow ones in here to prove to Uncle that I do like yellow."
"I am quite sure that Dan would be pleased with your plan, dear."
"Then I shall pack the large ones in a box," said Mrs. Selwyn, "and Tommay leave them at the rectory when he returns after driving you to theferry."
"Please thank Mr. Daniel, Aunt Mary, and the girls, too, for theirletters; but tell them I am afraid that I can't answer them very soon."
"But the children do not expect you to answer those letters, Mary."
"I know the very thing! I shall ask Uncle to write one letter to all ofthem, and I shall tell him what to say. We can do the same thing to thegirls in my class. Every one of them wrote to me, too, and said prayersfor me while I was so sick."