"
Miss Fortune's thoughts seemed too much for speech, from the
way in which she jumped up and went off without saying
anything more. She presently came back with an old pair of
gray socks, which she bade Ellen put on as soon as her feet
were dry.
"How many of those white stockings have you?" she said.
"Mamma bought me half a dozen pair of new ones just before I
came away, and I had as many as that of old ones besides."
"Well, now go up to your trunk and bring 'em all down to me —
every pair of white stockings you have got. There's a pair of
old slippers you can put on till your shoes are dry," she
said, flinging them to her — "They aren't much too big for
you."
"They're not much too big for the _socks_ — they're a great deal
too big for me," thought Ellen. But she said nothing. She
gathered all her stockings together and brought them down
stairs, as her aunt had bidden her.
"Now you may run out to the barn, to Mr. Van Brunt — you'll
find him there — and tell him I want him to bring me some
white maple bark when he comes home to dinner — white maple
bark, do you hear?"
Away went Ellen, but in a few minutes came back.
"I can't get in," she said.
"What's the matter?"
"Those great doors are shut, and I can't open them. I knocked,
but nobody came."
"Knock at a barn door!" said Miss Fortune. "You must go in at
the little cow-house door, at the left, and go round.
Pages:
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185