"Oh, Bill, you imbecile! There's nothing to THAT," Susan laughed out gaily.
"Aw, well," he began affrontedly, "it was the little way she said it--"
"Sh-sh!" said Mary Lou, white faced, heavy-eyed, at Alfred's door. "He's just dropped off... The doctor just came up the steps, Bill, will you go down and ask him to come right up? Why don't you go to bed, Sue?"
"How long are you going to wait?" asked Susan.
"Oh, just until after the doctor goes, I guess," Mary Lou sighed.
"Well, then I'll wait for you. I'll run up and see Mary Lord a few minutes. You stop in for me when you're ready."
And Susan, blowing her cousin an airy kiss, ran noiselessly up the last flight of stairs, and rapped on the door of the big upper front bedroom.
This room had been Mary Lord's world for ten long years. The invalid was on a couch just opposite the door, and looked up as Susan entered. Her dark, rather heavy face brightened instantly.
"Sue! I was afraid it was poor Mrs. Parker ready to weep about Loretta," she said eagerly. "Come in, you nice child! Tell me something cheerful!"
"Raw ginger is a drug on the market," said Susan gaily. "Here, I brought you some roses."
"And I have eleven guesses who sent them," laughed Miss Lord, drinking in the sweetness and beauty of the great pink blossoms hungrily. "When'd they come?"
"Just before dinner!" Susan told her. Turning to the invalid's sister she said: "Miss Lydia, you're busy, and I'm disturbing you."
"I wish you'd disturb us a little oftener, then," said Lydia Lord, affectionately. "I can work all the better for knowing that Mary isn't dying to interrupt me."
The older sister, seated at a little table under the gaslight, was deep in work.
"She's been doing that every night this week," said Miss Mary angrily, "as if she didn't have enough to do!"
"What is it?" asked Susan. Miss Lydia threw down her pen, and stretched her cramped fingers.
"Why, Mrs. Lawrence's sister is going to be married," she explained, "and the family wants an alphabetic list of friends to send the announcements to. This is the old list, and this the new one, and here's his list, and some names her mother jotted down,--they're all to be put in order. It's quite a job."