CHAPTER III. VENTURING FORTH
When Roberta entered the breakfast room, she found Gloria and Lena Maythere waiting for her. In answer to her question, the oldest sisterreplied that Gwen would not unlock her door. Lena May had left herbreakfast on a tray in the hall. "We think she is packing to leave,"Gloria sighed. "The way Gwen takes our misfortune is the hardest thingabout it."
Bobs, who was ravenously hungry after her early morning ride, was eatingher breakfast with a relish which contrasted noticeably with the evidentlack of appetite shown by her sisters. At last she said: "Glow, I'm notso sure all this is really a misfortune. If something hadn't happened tojolt us out of a rut, we would have settled down here and led a humdrum,monotonous life, going to teas and receptions, bridge parties andweek-ends, played tennis and golf, married and died, and nothing real orvital would have happened. But, now, take it from me, I, for one, amgoing to really live, not stagnate or rust."
Gloria smiled as she hastened to assure her sister: "I agree with you,Bobs. I'm glad something _has_ happened to make it possible for me tocarry out a long-cherished desire of mine. I haven't said much about it,but ever since Kathryn De Laney came home last summer on a vacation andtold me about the girls of the East Side who have never had a real chanceto develop the best that is in them, I have wanted to help them. I didn'tknow how to go about doing it, not until the crash came. Then I wroteKathryn, and you know what happened next. She found a place for me in theSettlement House to conduct social clubs for those very girls of whom shehad told me."
Both of the listeners noted the eager, earnest expression on the trulybeautiful face of the sister who had mothered them, but almost at once ithad saddened, and they knew that again she was thinking of Gwen. Directlyafter breakfast Gloria went once more to the upper hall and tapped on aclosed and locked door, but there was no response from within. However,the breakfast tray which Lena May had left on a near table was not insight, and so, at least, Gwendolyn was not going hungry.
It seemed strange to the two younger girls to be clearing away thebreakfast things and tidying up the kitchen where, for so many years, agood-natured Chinaman had reigned supreme.
"I'm going to miss Sing more than any servant that we ever had," Bobs wassaying when Gloria entered the kitchen. There was a serious expression onthe face of the oldest girl and Bobs refrained from uttering theflippancy which had been on the tip of her tongue. Lena May, having putaway the dishes, turned to ask solicitously: "Wouldn't Gwen let you in,Glow?"
"No, I didn't hear a sound, but the tray is gone." The gentle Lena Maywas pleased to hear that.
"Poor Gwen, she is making it harder for herself and for all of us,"Gloria said; then added, "Are you girls ready to go with me? I'd like toget over to the city early, after the first rush is over and the middayrush has not begun."
Exultant Bobs could not refrain from waving the dishcloth she still held."Hurray for us!" she sang out. "Three adventurers starting on they knownot what wild escapade. Wait until I change my togs, Glow, and I'll bewith you." Then, glancing down at her riding habit, "Unless this willdo?" she questioned her sister.
"Of course not, dear. We'll all wear tailored suits."
It was midmorning when three fashionably attired girls for the first timein their lives ascended to the Third Avenue Elevated, going uptown. Atthat hour there were few people traveling in that direction and they hada car almost to themselves. As they were whirled past tenements, so closethat they could plainly see the shabby furniture in the flats beyond, theyounger girls suddenly realized how great was the contrast between thelife that was ahead of them and that which they were leaving. Thethundering of the trains, the constant rumble of traffic below, thediscordant cries of hucksters, reached them through the open windows."It's hard to believe that a meadow lark is singing anywhere in theworld," Bobs said, turning to Gloria. "Or that little children areplaying in those meadows," the older girl replied. She was watching thepale, ragged children hanging to railings around fire escapes on a levelwith the train windows.
"Poor little things!" Lena May's tone was pitying, "I don't see how theycan do much playing in such cramped, crowded places."
"I don't suppose they even know the meaning of the word," Bobs replied.
They left the train at the station nearest the Seventy-seventh StreetSettlement. Since Gloria was to be employed there, she planned startingfrom that point to search for the nearest suitable dwelling. They foundthemselves in a motley crowd composed of foreign women and children, whojostled one another in an evident effort to reach the sidewalk where, intwo-wheeled carts, venders of all kinds of things salable were callingtheir wares. "They must sell everything from fish to calico," Bobsreported after a moment's inspection from the curbing.
The women, who wore shawls of many colors over their heads and whocarried market baskets and babies, were, some of them, Bohemians andothers Hungarian. Few words of English were heard by the interestedgirls. "I see where I have to acquire a new tongue if I am to know whatour future neighbors are talking about," Bobs had just said, when,suddenly, just ahead of them, a thin, sickly woman slipped and would havefallen had not a laboring man who was passing caught her just in time.The grateful woman coughed, her hand pressed to her throat, before shecould thank him. The girls saw that she had potatoes in a basket whichseemed too heavy for her. The man was apparently asking where she lived;then he assisted her toward a near tenement.
"Well," Bobs exclaimed, "there is evidently chivalry among working men aswell as among idlers."
At the crossing they were caught in a jam of traffic and pedestrians.Little Lena May clung to Gloria's arm, looking about as though terrorizedat this new and startling experience. When, after some moments' delay,the opposite sidewalk was reached in safety, Bobs exclaimed gleefully:"Wasn't that great?" But Lena May had not enjoyed the experience, and itwas quite evident to the other two that it was going to be very hard fortheir sensitive, frail youngest sister to be transplanted from hergardens, where she had spent long, quiet, happy hours, painting thescenes she loved, to this maelstrom of foreign humanity. There was almosta pang of regret in the heart of the girl who had mothered the otherswhen she realized fully, for the first time, what her own choice of ahome location might mean to their youngest. Perhaps she had been selfish,because of her own great interest in Settlement Work, to plan to havethem all live on the crowded East Side, but her fears were set at rest amoment later when they came upon a group of children, scarcely more thanbabies, who were playing in a gutter. Lena May's sweet face brightenedand, smiling up at Gloria, she exclaimed: "Aren't they dears, in spite ofthe rags and dirt? I'd love to do something for them."
"I'd like to put them all in a tub of soap-suds and give them a goodscrubbing for once in their lives," the practical Bobs remarked. Then shecaught Gloria by the arm, exclaiming, as she nodded toward a crossing,"There goes that chivalrous laboring man. He steps off with too muchagility to be a ditch-digger, or anyone who does hard work, doesn't he,Glow?"
The oldest sister laughed. "Bobs," she remarked, "I sometimes think thatyou are a detective by nature. You are always trying to discover by thecut of a man's hair what his profession may be."
Bobs' hazel eyes were merry, though her face was serious. "You've hit it,Glow!" she exclaimed. "I was going to keep it a secret a while longer,but I might as well confess, now that the cat is out of the bag."
"What cat?" Lena May had only heard half of this sentence; she had beenso interested in watching the excitement among the children caused by theapproach of an organ grinder.
"My chosen profession is the cat," Bobs informed her, "and I suppose mybrain, where it has been hiding, is the bag. I'm going to be adetective."
Little Lena May was horrified. Detectives meant to her sleuths whovisited underground haunts of crooks of all kinds. "I'm sure Gloria willnot wish it, will you, Glow?"
Appealingly the soft brown eyes were lifted and met the smiling gaze ofthe oldest sister. "W
e are each to do the work for which we are bestfitted," she replied. "You are to be our little housekeeper and that willgive you time to go on with your painting. I was just wondering a momentago if you might not like to put some of these black-eyed Hungarianbabies into a picture. If they are clean, they would be unusuallybeautiful."
Lena May was interested at once and glanced about for possible subjects,and so for the time being the startling statement of Bobs' chosenprofession was dropped. They were nearing the East River, very close towhich stood a large, plain brick building containing many windows. "Ibelieve that is the Settlement House," Gloria had just said, when Bobs,discovering the name over the door, verified the statement.
A pretty Hungarian girl of about their own age answered their ring andadmitted them to a big cheerful clubroom. Another girl was practicing ona piano in a far corner. The three newcomers seated themselves near thedoor and looked about with great interest. Just beyond were shelves ofbooks. Bobs sauntered over to look at the titles. "It's a dandycollection for girls," she reported as she again took her seat.
It was not long before Miss Lovejoy, the matron entered the room andadvanced toward them. The three girls rose to greet her.
Miss Lovejoy smilingly held out a hand to the tallest, saying in herpleasant, friendly voice, "I wonder if I am right in believing that _you_are the Miss Gloria Vandergrift who is coming to assist me."
"Yes, Miss Lovejoy, I am, and these are my younger sisters, Roberta andlittle Lena May." Then she explained: "We haven't moved into town as yet.I thought best to come over this morning and find a place for us to live;then we will have our trunks sent and our personal possessions."
"That is a good idea," the matron said, then asked: "Have you foundanything as yet?"
"We thought, since we are strangers in the neighborhood, that you mightbe able to suggest some place for us," Gloria told the matron.
After a thoughtful moment Miss Lovejoy replied: "The tenement houses inthis immediate neighborhood are most certainly not desirable for one usedto comforts. However, on Seventy-eighth Street, there is a new modeltenement built by some wealthy women and it is just possible that theremay be a vacant flat. You might inquire at the office there. You can takethe short-cut path across the playground and it will lead you directly tothe model tenement."
"Thank you, Miss Lovejoy," Gloria said. "We will let you know the resultof our search."