"Well, I'm not so sure," said his wife with set lips. "I shall breathe easier when that deed is signed."
"Fiddlesticks!" said her husband. "You leave Marion to me, and for pity's sake don't talk to her about it. Half the trouble in this world is made by this continual haranguing. Women always have to yammer a lot about everything. It makes a man sick!"
Nevertheless at the dinner table he eyed his sister surreptitiously and seemed anxious to conciliate her. He talked a lot in a loud breezy tone, and tried to make them all laugh. He laughed a great deal himself, and spoke of what nice times they were going to have on the farm. He passed Marion the cake 'twice, instead of eating the last piece himself as he usually did.
"How about it, girls?" he asked jovially as he carefully picked up some crumbs on the tablecloth beside his plate. "Can we get packed up in three weeks?"
"Of course!" said Jennie sharply, not daring to look at Marion.
"How about it, Marion, do you think we can?" asked her brother, as Marion arose to clear off the table.
"Why, I should think so," said Marion coolly as she gathered up a stack of dishes.
She felt as if she were shouting it, and marvelled how willing she was now to have the house sold, if sold it must be, since she had a new life before her. Not that she was at all reconciled to leaving her home, but she had decided that it was the right thing to do to let Tom get his farm, and having decided, she had put it away from her thoughts. She knew the wrench was going to be very great when it came, but she did not feel quite so bitter about it, now that she had a prospect of something besides the desolation of a farm life in Jennie's continual company.
But she did not want her brother to discover her secret yet, so she hurried out of the room lest he suspect something in her acquiescence to his plans. She knew that the traditions of the family made it imperative that she should be taken care of. Tom was old-fashioned. He would not think it right to leave her alone in the city. He would feel he was not doing his duty by her. Tom was determined to do right by her, though his ideas of what were right for her were sometimes out of focus.
She had not yet planned how to carry out the rest of the project, nor how to break the news to her brother that she was not going with him to Vermont. But if he found it out too soon he would surely manage to upset all her plans, and perhaps make it necessary for her to go after all.
But Tom was not of a suspicious nature, and was too conceited to think that his sister would stand out long against him. So he only raised his eyebrow? at his wife with a knowing "See, Jennie?" and began to whistle.
After that the packing went merrily forward, and no one could complain that Marion did not do her share, though all the time her heart was exceedingly sorrowful at leaving her old home.
When Wednesday evening came, Marion hurried through the dishes, and put on her coat and hat. I "Marion, you're never going to prayer meeting to-night after the way you've worked to-day!" exclaimed Jennie disapprovingly. "I think you owe it to us to stay at home and rest, if you won't consider your own feelings. There's more yet to do tomorrow. You ought to stay at home and go to bed."
Marion turned in dismay at this new obstacle to her plans. She had been troubled to seem to dissemble about the prayer meeting, but it was the only way to get a chance to go out and hunt a boarding-place without being questioned, and a whole week was gone already. She looked at her sister-in-law in distress.
"I would rather go, Jennie," she said, and felt as if she were uttering a lie. "You know I am used to going out Wednesday night "
"Well there's such a thing as carrying religion too far and making it ridiculous. You're going away from here soon now, anyway, and it doesn't matter one prayer meeting more or less. From now on I think you'll be plenty busy without prancing off to that church where the folks don't care a straw about you, anyway. Besides, if you have any strength left, I wish you'd stay at home and help me let down Nannie's dress for travelling. She's grown so tall it won't do at all."
Marion stood uncertainly by the door. Was it possible she must stay at home this evening? Just then help arose from an unexpected source.
"Oh, let her go if she wants to, Jennie. She always was a great one for church, and we're going off in the country where she can't get to church often. She might as well take her fill before we leave. As for letting down Nannie's dress, I'd wait till I got there, for she'll have trouble in going on a half-fare ticket if you make her look a day older. Run along, Marion; you've earned your evening. Do as you like with it."
Marion cast a grateful look at her brother, and hurried out into the darkness, still feeling guilty with the knowledge that she was not going to church to-night, yet afraid to say anything lest she should be stopped.
Tom retired behind his paper, while his wife informed him that he made a perfect little goose out of Marion. No wonder she was spoiled. If he was half as good to his wife, he'd have kept his sister at home to help her this evening. She was too tired to put the children to bed.
Whereupon he informed her dryly that Marion was nearly twenty-three years old, and didn't have to do as she was told, in fact, didn't have to live with them at all; so he didn't exactly see the point. After which he folded up his paper and put the children to bed himself, which process mollified his wife somewhat, but also gave him a period in which to reflect on the usefulness of unmarried sisters.
Marion's evening was a fruitless search. She could not find anywhere in the neighborhood a room that was not far beyond her pocketbook. And it began to seem as if boarding houses, at least any that looked at all possible, were only for multimillionaires.
Marion felt that her disappointment was a just reward for staying away from prayer meeting, and she went home more downcast than she had been since her brother announced his intention of selling the house. How could she find a place to live without explaining the whole matter to her brother? Perhaps that would yet be the only way out of her difficulty. But now to her uncertainty was added the fear that there were no places where she could possibly afford to live that would not be intolerable for one reason or another. They were either too hot or too cold, or too unsanitary, or too utterly distasteful in some way, when they were not too expensive. Once in a while she would find one that she thought could be made to do, and then she would discover some terrible drawback, and have to move on to another place. So she came home, a trifle later than she usually came from prayer meeting, and had to meet Jennie's sharp eyes and prying questions about why she was so late.
Two days later, however, Jennie announced her intention of taking the baby and making a flying farewell visit to her sister, who lived in a small town thirty miles away. She would go early Friday morning and return Monday. She felt that the packing was well started and Marion could do a good deal while she was gone. Marion's attitude had been so pleasant and willing that her fears were somewhat set at rest, and she longed to have a little ease herself, for she had worked very hard. She knew, too, that Marion could pretty well be counted on to do the work of two people in her absence, so she went with a mind free to enjoy her holiday.
Marion had agreed to the suggestion readily enough. She knew she could work early and late and still have time free for what she wanted to do for herself, and Jennie's absence seemed really providential. Tom was away all day from breakfast until evening settling up his business affairs, not even coming home to lunch on Friday or Saturday he said, so she was free to do as she pleased.
So Marion hurried through the breakfast dishes and locked the door on the duties Jennie had suggested, and took her way down town to hunt a place to live.
She had several plans. There was a girl who used to be in the same Sunday School class who worked down town, a stenographer or something. She boarded somewhere. She would go and ask her some questions.
But the girl was very busy taking dictation and could not be seen for a long time, and when she did appear she gave very little help. Yes, she boarded not far from her office, but it was rotten board, she said, and not a very pleasant bunch of boarders. She was thinking of making a change