Part 5 (1/2)

”It's too bad you haven't a pet,” she suggested. ”A dog or a cat is a lot of company. Why--” a sudden thought came to her. ”Just wait a minute. I'll be right back,” she called as she ran out of the room.

Before Mrs. Schuneman fairly realized that she had gone she was back with Jenny Lind in her cage.

”I thought perhaps you might like to have Jenny Lind spend the day with you,” she said breathlessly. ”She isn't just the same as a grown up daughter, but she's lots of company and she sings--she sings,” she was rather at a loss to tell how well Jenny Lind could sing, ”like a seraphim! They sing in the Bible and sound so grand I've always wanted to hear one though I know there isn't a seraphim that could sing sweeter than Jenny Lind. You can put the cage in that window. She loves the suns.h.i.+ne and she'll sing and sing until you forget you are lonely.”

”My gracious me!” murmured Mrs. Schuneman, staring from the eager face to the sleek yellow bird. ”I haven't had a canary since I was a girl in my father's house.”

”Uncle Larry said the law doesn't say you can't have birds here. It's cats and dogs and children.”

”Yes, yes. I know.” Mrs. Schuneman walked up to the cage and looked at Jenny Lind, who looked at her with her bright bead-like eyes before she burst into joyous song. ”Now, why didn't I think of a canary?”

Mrs. Schuneman demanded sharply. ”There isn't any reason why I shouldn't have one.”

”You're perfectly welcome to Jenny Lind until you get one of your own.”

Mary Rose was delighted to have Jenny Lind received so cordially.

”She'll be glad to spend the day with you. She's a very friendly bird.”

”I'll be glad to have her. Perhaps you'll stay, too.” Mrs. Schuneman surprised herself more than she did Mary Rose by the invitation that popped so suddenly from her mouth. She had never asked anyone in the Was.h.i.+ngton to spend the day with her before. ”Tell me where you came from and what's your name and how old you are?”

”I came from Mifflin and my name's Mary Rose Crocker and I'm almost el--I mean I'm going on fourteen.” She remembered the secret she had with Aunt Kate just in time. A second more and it would have been too late.

Mrs. Schuneman regarded her over the gold spectacles. ”Going on fourteen?” she repeated. ”You're very small for your age. Why, when my Lottie was fourteen she would have made two of you.”

Mary Rose squirmed. The unjust criticism was very hard to bear. She just had to murmur faintly that it would be some time before she would reach fourteen.

”H-m, I thought so.” Mrs. Schuneman looked very wise, as if she understood perfectly and there is no doubt that she understood more than Mary Rose. ”Well, well,” she said, while Mary Rose, scarlet and mortified, stood twisting the corner of Aunt Kate's ap.r.o.n.

”I--I hope you won't tell,” she said hurriedly, her eyes on the red rug, ”because it's something of a secret on account of the law for this house. I don't understand exactly but Aunt Kate does.”

”I've no doubt she does.” The corners of Mrs. Schuneman's mouth were pulled down farther than they had been and she looked very, very stern until Jenny Lind broke into joyous song again, when the corners of Mrs.

Schuneman's mouth tilted up, slightly. ”Well, well,” she said again, but not quite so crossly. ”So long as you behave yourself and aren't a nuisance I shan't say a word. Where I lived before my brother left me his money there were more children than a body could count. Such a noise and confusion all the time. I was glad to get away from them and come up here where there couldn't be any children----”

”Nor any dogs nor cats,” murmured Mary Rose sadly.

”But maybe that's why the place hasn't seemed like home to me.”

”Of course it is.” Mary Rose knew. ”I never heard of a home without children. There wasn't one in all Mifflin.” She tried to imagine such a thing but she couldn't do it. ”It wouldn't be a home,” she decided emphatically.

Mrs. Schuneman regarded her curiously before she gave herself another surprise. ”Suppose you go and ask your aunt if you can go out with me and find a bird? I believe you would choose a good one. Louise and Lottie can make a fuss if they want to but I never said a word when they bought a phonograph and a bird will be more company for an old lady than a machine.”

They had a wonderful time finding a canary. They visited several shops where birds of many kinds were offered for sale. Mary Rose quite lost her heart to a great red and green poll parrot with fierce red-rimmed eyes.

”You'd never be lonesome if you had him,” she whispered. ”He could really talk to you.”

”d.a.m.n! d.a.m.n! d.a.m.n!” remarked Poll Parrot pleasantly, as if to show that he really could talk. ”Polly wants a cracker. Oh, d.a.m.n! d.a.m.n!

Fools and idiots! d.a.m.n!”

”It isn't conversation I care for. It's too much like having a man around again.” Mrs. Schuneman was quite shocked.

After they had made their choice and had a bird in a neat little wooden cage and had bought a fine bra.s.s cage for a permanent home they stopped at a confectioner's for a sundae. Mary Rose's cheeks were as pink as pink as they sat at the little table and ate ice cream and discussed a name for the new member of the Schuneman family. They finally agreed on Germania in deference to Mrs. Schuneman's love for her native country and Mary Rose's firm belief that a bird's name should be suggestive of music. ”And I've heard that lots of music was made in Germany,” she said.