Part 34 (2/2)
Hazelton was lifting his hat. The flush faded, and her eyes closed as though to shut out some painful sight; then she bowed her head with a proud gesture, and sped along the way to the house.
Once inside, she threw herself, sobbing, upon the bed. Tabitha found her there an hour later.
”You poor dear--they've gone now,” she comforted.
Rachel raised her head.
”They're going to cut down everything--every single thing!” she gasped.
”I know it,” choked Tabitha, ”and they're going to tear out lots of doors inside, and build in windows and things. Oh, Rachel,--what shall we do?”
”I don't know, oh, I don't know!” moaned the woman on the bed, diving into the pillows and hugging them close to her head.
”We--we might give up selling--he said we could if we wanted to.”
”But there's Ralph!”
”I know it. Oh, dear--what can we do?”
Rachel suddenly sat upright.
”Do? Why, we'll stand it, of course. We just mustn't mind if he turns the house into a hotel and the yard into a--a pasture!” she said hysterically. ”We must just think of Ralph and of his being a doctor.
Come, let's go to the village and see if we can rent that tenement of old Mrs. G.o.ddard's.”
With a long sigh and a smothered sob, Tabitha went to get her hat.
Mrs. G.o.ddard greeted the sisters effusively, and displayed her bits of rooms and the tiny square of yard with the plainly expressed wish that the place might be their home.
The twins said little, but their eyes were troubled. They left with the promise to think it over and let Mrs. G.o.ddard know.
”I didn't suppose rooms could be so little,” whispered Tabitha, as they closed the gate behind them.
”We couldn't grow as much as a sunflower in that yard,” faltered Rachel.
”Well, anyhow, we could have some houseplants!”--Tabitha tried to speak cheerfully.
”Indeed we could!” agreed Rachel, rising promptly to her sister's height; ”and, after all, little rooms are lots cheaper to heat than big ones.” And there the matter ended for the time being.
Mr. Hazelton and the lawyer with the necessary papers appeared a few days later. As the lawyer took off his hat he handed a letter to Miss Rachel.
”I stepped into the office and got your mail,” he said genially.
”Thank you,” replied the lady, trying to smile. ”It's from Ralph,”--handing it over for her sister to read.
Both the ladies were in somber black; a ribbon or a brooch seemed out of place to them that day. Tabitha broke the seal of the letter, and retired to the light of the window to read it.
The papers were spread on the table, and the pen was in Rachel's hand when a scream from Tabitha shattered the oppressive silence of the room.
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