Meanwhile her mother closed the
kitchen door, caught up from the dining-room sofa a promiscuous pile of
hats, coats, rubbers and shawls, threw them into a convenient closet,
placed the colored cloth on the table and hastened to open the front
door to admit her guests.
"Come in! Come in! I'm ever so glad to see you, but you must take us
just as we are. Did you come on the train?"
"Yes, and got Jenkins to bring us up from the station. He's to take us
back at three o'clock this afternoon. We can't make a long visit, but
we're going to take dinner with you, if it's perfectly convenient."
"Oh, yes! of course. It's always convenient to have you. We don't make
strangers of you at all."
While Mrs. Upton spoke these hospitable words her heart sank within her
at the remembrance of her unbaked bread and her neglect to order meat
for dinner.
"Here, Maria, just help Aunt Jane to take off her wraps, I'll be right
back."
Mrs. Upton darted up-stairs, carrying with her a pair of trousers which
she had been over an hour in mending. For want of them Charlie had been
unable to go to school that morning. He was reading in his room.
"Here, Charlie! Put these on and run down to the butcher's and get some
steak, and stop at the baker's and get some rolls and a pie, and tell
them I'll pay them to-morrow. I don't know where my pocketbook is now."
"Ma," drawled Charlie in reply, "I haven't my shoes up here, only my
slippers and rubbers.
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