Part 24 (1/2)

”It will tire you much more than walking about on a level,” he explained, ”you had better put it off a little while--till you are quite sure of your feet.”

”I think so too,” said Clover; ”and beside, I want to have the house all put in order and made nice, before your sharp eyes see it, Mrs.

Housekeeper. Oh, I'll tell you! Such a beautiful idea has come into my head! You shall fix a day to come down, Katy, and we'll be all ready for you, and have a 'celebration' among ourselves. That would be just lovely! How soon may she, Papa?”

”Well--in ten days, I should say, it might be safe.”

”Ten days! that will bring it to the seventh of September, won't it?”

said Katy. ”Then Papa, if I may, I'll come down stairs the first time on the eighth. It was Mamma's birthday, you know,” she added in a lower voice.

So it was settled. ”How delicious!” cried Clover, skipping about and clapping her hands: ”I never, never, never _did_ hear of anything so perfectly lovely. Papa, when are you coming down stairs? I want to speak to you _dreadfully_.”

”Right away--rather than have my coat-tails pulled off,” answered Dr.

Carr, laughing, and they went away together. Katy sat looking out of the window in a peaceful, happy mood.

”Oh!” she thought, ”can it really be? Is School going to 'let out,' just as Cousin Helen's hymn said? Am I going to 'Bid a sweet good-bye to Pain?' But there was Love in the Pain. I see it now. How good the dear Teacher has been to me!”

Clover seemed to be very busy all the rest of that week. She was ”having windows washed,” she said, but this explanation hardly accounted for her long absences, and the mysterious exultation on her face, not to mention certain sounds of hammering and sawing which came from down stairs. The other children had evidently been warned to say nothing; for once or twice Philly broke out with, ”Oh, Katy!” and then hushed himself up, saying, ”I 'most forgot!” Katy grew very curious. But she saw that the secret, whatever it was, gave immense satisfaction to everybody except herself; so, though she longed to know, she concluded not to spoil the fun by asking any questions.

At last it wanted but one day of the important occasion.

”See,” said Katy, as Clover came into the room a little before tea-time.

”Miss Petingill has brought home my new dress. I'm going to wear it for the first time to go down stairs in.”

”How pretty!” said Clover, examining the dress, which was a soft, dove-colored cashmere, trimmed with ribbon of the same shade. ”But Katy, I came up to shut your door. Bridget's going to sweep the hall, and I don't want the dust to fly in, because your room was brushed this morning, you know.”

”What a queer time to sweep a hall!” said Katy, wonderingly. ”Why don't you make her wait till morning?”

”Oh, she can't! There are--she has--I mean there will be other things for her to do to-morrow. It's a great deal more convenient that she should do it now. Don't worry, Katy, darling, but just keep your door shut. You will, won't you? Promise me!”

”Very well,” said Katy, more and more amazed, but yielding to Clover's eagerness, ”I'll keep it shut.” Her curiosity was excited. She took a book and tried to read, but the letters danced up and down before her eyes, and she couldn't help listening. Bridget was making a most ostentatious noise with her broom, but through it all, Katy seemed to hear other sounds--feet on the stairs, doors opening and shutting--once, a stifled giggle. How queer it all was!

”Never mind,” she said, resolutely stopping her ears, ”I shall know all about it to-morrow.”

To-morrow dawned fresh and fair--the very ideal of a September day.

”Katy!” said Clover, as she came in from the garden with her hands full of flowers, ”that dress of yours is sweet. You never looked so nice before in your life!” And she stuck a beautiful carnation pink under Katy's breast-pin and fastened another in her hair.

”There!” she said, ”now you're adorned. Papa is coming up in a few minutes to take you down.”

Just then Elsie and Johnnie came in. They had on their best frocks. So had Clover. It was evidently a festival-day to all the house. Cecy followed, invited over for the special purpose of seeing Katy walk down stairs. She, too, had on a new frock.

”How fine we are!” said Clover, as she remarked this magnificence. ”Turn round, Cecy--a panier, I do declare--and a sas.h.!.+ You are getting awfully grown up, Miss Hall.”

”None of us will ever be so 'grown up' as Katy,” said Cecy, laughing.

And now Papa appeared. Very slowly they all went down stairs, Katy leaning on Papa, with Dorry on her other side, and the girls behind, while Philly clattered ahead. And there were Debby and Bridget and Alexander, peeping out of the kitchen door to watch her, and dear old Mary with her ap.r.o.n at her eyes crying for joy.

”Oh, the front door is open!” said Katy, in a delighted tone. ”How nice!